Louise Ainsworth joins Warc as CEO

Ainsworth replaces Rufus Olins, who resigned in July after a stint of close to three years. She was most recently SVP of advertiser solutions, international at Nielsen, where she was responsible for the development and rollout of Brand Effect, Nielsen’s advertising effectiveness offering.

She was also the managing director EMEA of Nielsen Online, overseeing the company’s online audience and advertising measurement, social media monitoring and mobile media measurement capabilities in the Europe, Middle East and Africa regions.

Having started her career as a marketer at Shell, Ainsworth later worked at strategy consultancy Bain & Company as well as BBC Education, before joining agencies.

She was group director of engagement management at Organic Online and managing partner of consulting and planning at OgilvyOne. She is also a trustee of the Nominet Trust.

“Louise came out in front of an impressive field of candidates wanting to lead Warc,” Steve White, chairman of Warc, commented on the appointment. “I believe she has all the qualities needed to make the business grow and to find even greater success.”

An engineering science and economics graduate from Oxford University, Ainsworth also has an MSc in management science and operational research from Warwick University, and an MBA from INSEAD.

“In today’s complex marketing environment the need for quality market intelligence is greater than ever,” she said. “Beyond the service itself Warc represents a community of industry practitioners who believe that great advertising is based on great insight.”