Accenture Song hires Kristen Kelly as global head of media

Accenture Song has hired Kristen Kelly in the new role of global head of media. 

Kelly will oversee Song’s global media practice and help develop its media model. She will be based in the UK and report into Sarah Thompson, global communications lead for Accenture Song.

Kelly joins the business from martech firm Terragon Group where she was chief operating officer. She was also COO for Silverbullet, a contextual outcomes engine and consultancy.

Previously she worked at Publicis Groupe for 18 years, most recently in the role of president for Precision EMEA.

Thompson said: “Kristen’s expertise in bringing the value of today’s marketing technology, media platforms and talent closer in sync with the integration challenges faced by CMOs – powered by creativity – will fuel the future of our new media model and deliver strong impact for our clients.”

Dean Challis will also join the media practice as the North America head of media at Song, reporting into Kelly.

He joined Song from Droga5 where he spent six years as the head of communications strategy. Prior to that he spent 10 years at GroupM agency MediaCom.
 
Kelly commented: “Media has always been a dynamic part of the marketing mix, but the speed of change in how audiences consume and engage through new media channels has accelerated at an unprecedented speed over the last three years.

“Buying journeys are evolving, audiences’ expectations on privacy and personalisation are increasing, and demand is high for more seamless and connected experiences. Supporting this integration dynamic – across media, creativity, technology and data – is an enormous opportunity, one that Accenture Song has unparalleled expertise to deliver.”

Accenture Song was created in April when Accenture renamed its advertising and marketing services arm, Accenture Interactive, and merged all of its agency subsidiaries with the exception of Droga5.