Isentia Names New Chief Exec as CFO Resigns

Australia-based media intelligence and measurement firm Isentia has hired former Yahoo7 boss Ed Harrison as Managing Director and CEO, replacing John Croll who resigned in February after twenty years with the business. Separately, CFO James Orlando has resigned.

Orlando will remain with Isentia until a new CFO has been found.

Croll led the company, as Media Monitors, through its sale in 2010 to Quadrant Private Equity, and its subsequent rebrand as Sentia Media and then iSentia / Isentia. Under his leadership the firm spread from an Australian base across Asia Pacific with buys in China and SE Asia, and continued with buys in Australia and more in Asia. However, the company endured a difficult year after its content generation, marketing and measurement subsidiary King Content was closed down and Croll then informed shareholders that Isentia was predicting a profit drop of up to 23% for the financial year.

Harrison (pictured) will join next month with more than 25 years' media sector experience in ANZ and the UK. For the past four, he has served as CEO of Yahoo7, a standalone company owned by Seven West Media and Oath Inc (Verizon), which develops digital media products and creates original content. Prior to this, he was Group Sales Director at Fairfax Media, overseeing 300 newspaper, magazine and digital brands. He relocated to Australia in 2001 to set up JC Decaux's Victorian and South Australian operations, and from 2003 to 2008 was national General Manager. In addition, Harrison served as IAB Australia Chair from 2014-2016 and previously had a seat on the Board at The Readership Works.

Doug Snedden, Isentia Chairman, comments: 'Ed has deep knowledge of traditional and digital media and has executed disciplined growth strategies in organisations across a range of competitive markets. He has broad expertise in leading product development and technology-based innovation to meet diverse customer needs in disrupted media environments, and understands the fundamental importance of client relationship'.

Web site: www.isentia.com .