There are two new likes on Facebook Canada’s senior sales team.
Jake Norman is taking on the role of head of agency development, responsible for leading the team that works directly with agencies. Norman is charged with helping develop what the company described as “unique” solutions that better serve agencies’ clients. His appointment is effective May 4.
“One of the Facebook objectives is to grow and serve businesses and help them reach their full potential,” said Norman. “Accelerating Facebook’s relationship with all types of agencies will be integral to deliver on this, and I cannot wait to get started.”
Norman has spent his entire career on the agency side, and has been president and chief strategy officer for Mindshare Canada since May 2012. The agency was named Mindshare’s global agency of the year in 2014. He has also worked with Mindshare Ireland.
Alison Leung has been named vertical lead, consumer packaged goods, leading a team dedicated to consumer packaged goods clients. She will work to develop brand solutions for the social networking giant’s CPG clients.
Facebook Canada has enjoyed success in the CPG vertical, including work for Oreo Canada last year that led to 32% of its audience being reached with 92% accuracy, a 4% increase in ad recall and a 22% increase in purchase intent.
Leung was previously marketing director, foods with Unilever Canada, where she spent 17 years in a variety of roles.
“I look forward to leveraging my client background and partnering with CPG marketers to help develop relevant brand solutions that drive business results,” she said in a release. “With Facebook’s unique ability to reach real people at scale, I know we can help our clients drive measurable impact.”
Both new hires will report to Jordan Banks, global head of vertical strategy and managing director of Facebook Canada.
Facebook posted first quarter revenue of US$3.54 billion for the three months ended March 31, a 42% increase from $2.5 billion in the corresponding year-earlier period. Advertising revenue was $3.3 billion, a 46% increase, with mobile ad revenue representing approximately 73% of that total, up from approximately 59% a year earlier.
