Former MRM Chief Architect to scale NOVUS’s capability for the next chapter of independent media

NOVUS, the independent agency where media is hyper-personalized and local at scale, named Olivier Pepin its first Chief Technology Officer. Pepin joins the leadership team to build and lead the agency’s Technology, AI, and Data Engineering practice, combining strategic leadership, hands-on innovation, and client-facing expertise as NOVUS scales its technology and data capabilities under CEO Libby Morgan.

Pepin will lead NOVUS’s technology strategy and architecture in close partnership with the agency’s Strategy & Planning, Investment, and Data & Insights leadership. He will define and deliver a multi-year roadmap positioning NOVUS as the partner of choice for clients seeking genuine value from technology, data, and AI. His charter includes driving thought leadership, overseeing cutting-edge prototyping and experimentation, and working directly with clients to architect and deliver best-in-market solutions. He will report to Morgan and serve on the NOVUS leadership team.

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Pepin brings more than 25 years of experience as a technical architect and engineering leader. Most recently, he served as Chief Architect at MRM, where he led AI, digital commerce, and marketing technology solutions for global brands including General Motors, Johnson & Johnson, Roche, Nestlé, and Kendra Scott. Early on, he spent over a decade in Europe delivering large-scale enterprise systems across pharmaceutical, telecommunications, and consumer goods industries.

Pepin will build on NOVUS’s proprietary data and technology foundation, including tools like DeCoder (geospatial analytics) and FullSail (full-funnel channel optimizer), to extend the agency’s AI-native platform for clients. His focus spans the full media lifecycle, from insight through activation and measurement, with emphasis on agentic AI, identity resolution, and next-generation measurement. He will also shape the governance framework that allows these capabilities to scale responsibly across every client engagement.

A central pillar of Pepin’s agenda is advancing measurement and personalization at scale. This includes evolving NOVUS’s approach to attribution, incrementality, and performance optimization, and developing frameworks that deepen audience understanding across channels. In parallel, he will oversee the integration of proprietary and third-party data to power more automated, responsive media execution.

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“Olivier combines deep technical expertise with the strategic judgment that modern media demands,” said Morgan. “As the industry shifts toward AI-native platforms and agentic workflows, we wanted a leader who has actually built these systems in production, not just talked about them. His track record and his ability to translate technology into client outcomes make him the right person to lead this next chapter.

“NOVUS is at a rare inflection point,” said Pepin. “The combination of proprietary tools, an independent mindset, and nearly four decades of media expertise creates real space to build something different. My focus will be on scaling NOVUS’ Technology, AI, and Data Engineering capability to set a new bar for what clients should expect from their media partner, grounded in real engineering, honest measurement, and AI that delivers business value.”