Carat has named JiYoung Kim as its first chief digital officer. In the role, Kim will be tasked with leading and continuing to expand Carat’s digital capabilities and expertise across mobile, performance, OTT, digital audio, AI and other areas.
Ji will shape Carat’s approach to all digital strategy and execution in the U.S. market while working closely with the agency’s client leadership teams to identify client and partner opportunities, help deliver work across Carat’s client portfolio, and drive partnership and integration among Dentsu Aegis Network’s digital partners to further capabilities in the areas of search, social, programmatic and data.
Kim begins the role immediately, reporting directly to U.S. CEO Angela Steele, who succeeded Michal Epstein in that role at the start of the year after Epstein took on the role of global CEO last June.
Steele explained that the new role was born out of client needs.
“It is more important than ever to have digital specialists, like Ji, at the helm, who bring together the breadth and depth of digital expertise. This role is intended to set the vision for the intersection of data and tech within our agency—especially where clients need more depth of expertise such as ecommerce, programmatic and data-fueled addressable media,” she said, adding that “Ji’s direct client responsibilities and impact on Carat’s client work” set her role apart from that of other chief digital officers.