Former Dentsu Aegis Network executive Nick Waters has been named as the new group chief executive of London-based media audit and measurement consultancy Ebiquity. Waters' appointment, which includes a seat on Ebiquity's board as an executive director, will begin on July 1.
As the new CEO, Waters fills the role vacated by Michael Karg, a former Razorfish executive who left Ebiquity abruptly last November. Alan Newman, Ebiquity's current interim CEO, will resume his role as chief financial and operating officer from July onwards.
Ebiquity was a top competitor to Accenture's media auditing practice until the latter consultancy giant closed that business in February amid conflict-of-interest questions. Ebiquity, which as part of its advisory services runs media reviews and has a conflict compliance arm, has seen a deterioration in its share price over the past five years as client needs evolve.
With decades of leadership experience in media agency networks, Waters knows the media landscape well. He joins Ebiquity from Dentsu Aegis Network, where he worked a decade, most recently as executive chairman for the UK and Ireland for most of 2019 until his departure in December. For the nine years prior to that Waters served as DAN's CEO of Asia-Pacific, up until his exit last March.
Prior to DAN, Waters held senior roles at Mindshare for more than 10 years, including CEO of EMEA, having been CEO of Asia-Pacific and previously CEO of Southeast Asia.
In a release, Waters said: "Ebiquity has built a market leading position with a highly attractive proposition for global brands and advertisers. I look forward to joining the company and driving the business forward through the next phase of its growth journey.”
Ebiquity chairman Rob Woodward added: "Nick has an outstanding track record of leading global media and marketing businesses, which will greatly benefit Ebiquity. He is an excellent addition to our executive team and brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in the media sector. The appointment of such a high-calibre executive is a testament to the strength of the business and the growth opportunity ahead."