SAM Expands Client Solutions Team with Senior Hires

In the US, cross-platform ad effectiveness measurement specialist Symphony Advanced Media (SAM) has appointed ad research execs Bala Mallela as VP and Jenny deCastro as Senior Director of Client Solutions.

SAM is part of Symphony Technology Group, which includes Symphony IRI, Impact RX, Teleca and EYC. Its solutions provide an integrated view of consumer media consumption, purchase behaviors and brand attitudes across media, including online, TV, print and mobile.

Mallela (pictured) joins with nineteen years' marketing, consumer and shopper insights and business analytics experience. For the past six years, he has worked at Johnson & Johnson, where he latterly served as Director-Global Strategic Insights and before this, was Director-Shopper Insights. Prior to this, he was Director-Consumer and Customer Insights at Campbell Soup Company, Global Director-Strategic Marketing at Coca-Cola, and Senior Manager-Consumer and Customer Insights at Pepsico.

In his new role, Mallela will work closely with SAM's pharmaceutical and CPG clients, customizing media mix and predictive analytics solutions.

In her new role, deCastro will manage SAM's media/entertainment and agency practice. Prior to joining, she spent more than five years in Nielsen's digital division, responsible for sales and service of custom and syndicated research solutions for global telecoms and media clients. Earlier, she worked at radio ratings giant Arbitron for eight years, managing a team of senior sales representatives and overseeing client services for media and entertainment organizations.

Tom O'Sullivan, SVP of Business Development, comments: 'Both Bala and Jenny bring a wealth of experience managing sophisticated global advertisers and together they bring nearly 40 years of experience and solid understandings of high-end analytics research methods and techniques. Their client services and analytical skills align extremely well with SAM's positioning in the advertising analytics space.'

Web site: www.symphonyam.com .