RadiumOne CEO Sacked after Domestic Violence Conviction

In the US, online ad pioneer Gurbaksh Chahal has been sacked from his role as CEO of social media ad targeting specialist RadiumOne, after he was found guilty on two counts of domestic violence by a San Francisco court. He has been replaced by company COO Bill Lonergan.

Chahal (pictured) founded RadiumOne in 2010, having previously setting up Click Agents and Blue Lithium, which he later sold to ValueClick and Yahoo! The firm uses 'social retargeting' algorithms to analyze how users interact with one another and find the consumers that most closely identify with the brand's current customer base.

Last August, police were called to Chahal's penthouse following a 911 call about domestic violence. CCTV footage of him hitting and kicking his girlfriend 117 times in a half-hour attack has since been ruled to be inadmissible evidence at is was acquired without a warrant. However, Chahal pleaded guilty to two counts of domestic violence and battery, in return for three years of probation, a spell of community service, and attendance at a year-long domestic violence course.

In a statement issued at the weekend, RadiumOne's Board of Directors said that they had voted to terminate Chahal's employment as CEO and Chairman of the company, and that Lonergan will take over immediately.

Web site: www.radiumone.com .