Acxiom Hires Merkle Man John Watkins as COO

In the US, customer intelligence company Acxiom has hired long-time Merkle exec John Watkins as its first Chief Operating Officer.

Acxiom offers a platform for services including data onboarding and the transfer of off-line data online, both for marketing and consumer understanding. Watkins joins after a career spanning more than twenty years of experience leading complex operations strategies and guiding multifaceted teams. He previously spent fifteen years at Merkle in roles including COO and Global Chief Transformation Officer. Earlier he was SVP, COO at General Health Corporation; Director, Data Acquisition at ChoicePoint; and Principal/VP Data Licensing at Total eData.

At Acxiom, as well as overseeing day-to-day operations, Watkins will collaborate with the exec team to create and implement the company's operation strategy. He will also launch a new business unit focused on standardizing, automating and globalizing operations across the enterprise.

He reports to CEO Chad Engelgau, who comments: 'Welcoming John signals a bold reimagining of how Acxiom operates. His vision, team spirit and unmatched operational leadership are precisely what Acxiom needs to take us to the next level. With John on board, we're not just looking to the horizon, but aiming to redefine it'.

Web site: www.acxiom.com .