MAM
WPP Digital acquires majority stake in Acceleration
MUMBAI: Media communications group WPP‘s digital arm WPP Digital has bought majority stakes in the two holding companies of marketing technology firm Acceleration.
The two holding companies are Guernsey island-based Acceleration Holdings Ltd and South Africa-based Acceleration eMarketing Limited.
Acceleration‘s combined audited revenues for the year ended 31 December 2011 were US$16.8 million.
The acquisition is part of WPP‘s continued efforts to enhance its digital portfolio. WPP‘s annual digital revenues are almost US$4.8 billion, which is more than 30 per cent of the group‘s total revenue of US$16 billion. WPP‘s target is to have 35-40 per cent of revenues from digital in the next five years.
Acceleration, which was founded in 1999, has offices in Buenos Aires, Cape Town, Dubai, Johannesburg, London and New York and employee strength of 148 marketing technologists.
Acceleration provides services that help clients architect, implement and orchestrate digital marketing and publishing technologies to enhance their digital business initiatives. Its clients include Celebrity Cruises, The Economist, South African Tourism and UEFA.
MAM
Huella Services appoints Pankajj Rai as vice president – Ad sales
Media veteran with 18 years experience to lead monetisation and partnerships.
MUMBAI: When the ad game gets smarter, companies often look for someone who knows how to sell the story behind the screen. Huella Services has appointed Pankajj Rai as vice president for Ad sales, a move aimed at strengthening the company’s advertising and monetisation strategy as it expands its technology-led media offerings.
Rai brings over 18 years of experience across broadcast and digital media and will oversee monetisation initiatives for Newsroom AI, while also helping shape Huella’s next phase of development in interactive and AI-led advertising solutions.
Based in Delhi NCR, he will work closely with the founders and leadership team to align product capabilities with market needs, while driving partner development and go-to-market strategies for the company’s advertising platforms.
Rai’s career spans senior roles across some of India’s prominent media organisations. Before joining Huella, he served as business head for Wion and Zee Business at Zee Media Corporation. Earlier, he was national sales head at QYOU Media, where he led commercial partnerships and advertising growth.
His experience also includes managing commercial operations for major television brands such as Zee TV, Zee Cinema and Zee Bollywood, with responsibilities spanning North and East India.
Commenting on the appointment, Huella, co-founder and CEO Prrincey Roy said the company is strengthening its leadership team as it prepares for the next phase of growth.
“We’re thrilled to welcome Pankajj at a time when Huella is expanding both its portfolio and ambition. His depth of experience and strategic lens make him an invaluable addition as we build not just better products, but better outcomes for our partners and brands,” Roy said.
Huella Services is currently building technology driven advertising platforms that integrate AI powered content ecosystems with brand engagement, reflecting a broader shift in the media industry towards data driven and interactive advertising formats.
With Rai now leading ad sales and monetisation, the company aims to deepen relationships with advertisers while scaling its AI driven media products in an increasingly competitive digital advertising landscape.
