The WeissComm Group (WCG) hired European blogger and podcaster Neville Hobson to head social media activities in Europe, and also added new digital-focused employees in its New York, San Francisco and Austin, Texas offices.
Hobson, formerly VP of new marketing at Crayon, has most recently been operating his own consulting practice, and working with Bond Interactive. Bob Pearson, chief technology and media officer at WCG, said Hobson will work on accounts globally, since “talent is not geography-dependent” with respect to social media and online operations.
In the US, Chris Black was hired as director of digital strategy, and will work from the company’s San Francisco office. Black worked for ODA, a healthcare creative agency in San Francisco acquired by WCG last January, and then left for Draftfcb. Pearson said growth at WCG has allowed him to build a team focused on the best talent available, and that meant bringing Black back into the fold.
In Austin, Bob Blount and Geoff Knox were hired on as director of analytics and insights, and associate, respectively. Both Blount and Knox came to WCG from Dell, where Blount worked in communications and product marketing, and Knox most recently worked in social media. Lauran Driver was also hired on to the social media team in Austin, as an associate. Driver was previously an account executive at Porter Novelli. In the New York office, Liesel Enke was hired as an associate, and was most recently managing supervisor at Fleishman Hillard.
Pearson said the hires don’t represent a response to any given client, but are indicative of the way the business is headed.
“We’re not chasing a certain number of new employees,” said Pearson. “We’re trying to build best practices in the social media arena.”
The company was a partner on Pfizer’s redesigned online news function, working with Sudler & Hennessey and G2 Interactive on the project.
From the November 01, 2009 Issue of MM+M - Medical Marketing and Media
