Tinuiti Invests in Commerce and C-Suite Talent, Further Strengthening Its Amazon and Retail Media Offering

Highly regarded CPG retail and shopping veteran to lead and deliver first-to-market client solutions

Tinuiti – the largest independent performance marketing firm across Streaming TV and the Triopoly of Google, Meta, Amazon – announced the appointment of Shaun Brown as its first-ever EVP of Commerce, ensuring the firm’s long-term commitment to reinvest in its people, tech, and standards for innovation, setting both Tinuiti and its clients up for future success.

As Head of Commerce, Brown will oversee Tinuiti’s already-robust Amazon, Retail Media, and end-to-end ecommerce retail strategy, which is driven by over 170 dedicated team members and collaborates across client offerings including Analytics, Addressable Media, Acquisition Media, Earned and Owned Media, Creative, and Influencer partnerships.

Brown’s elevation follows Tinuiti’s 2021 acquisition of Amazon-specialist agency, Ortega Group, resulting in one of the industry’s most robust full-service Amazon and marketplace programs, which has transformed Tinuiti into the largest independent retail media practice.

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Earlier this year, Tinuiti achieved Amazon Ads Advanced Partner Status. The just-launched global recognition program recognizes partners that demonstrate expertise with Amazon Ads, and deliver growth for advertisers, while also driving innovation and displaying a willingness to partner with Amazon Ads through consistent and ongoing engagement. Of the thousands of companies that work with Amazon Ads, only the top 5% achieve Advanced Partner Status.

Central to Tinuiti’s success partnering with Amazon has been the firm’s proprietary and powerful AI-enabled e-commerce activation toolset, MobiusX, which uses product data as the foundation on which media, bid, and feed strategies are optimized across campaigns and channels for maximum profitability. This technology has directly supported additional key API partnerships, including serving as one of only eight Walmart Connect API and Target Product Ads API partners and one of only 12 Instacart Agency API partners.

Obele Brown-West, Chief Solutions Officer, Tinuiti said: “Tinuiti’s deep heritage in retail media is our advantage in understanding the entire customer Commerce journey, both online and offline, having all the best integrated tools in-house and with our partners. Shaun brings an incredible depth of shopper marketing experience to our already extensive ecommerce solutions — a combination that will deliver a commerce function across shoppable experiences and one that harnesses retail strategic operations. We guide modern brands looking to accelerate their connected commerce experience across the ever expanding landscape.”

Brown is a 25-plus year CPG retail and shopping marketing veteran leading Shopper strategies and customer marketing activations with some of the world’s most recognized brands, including Kellogg’s and Coca-Cola. He has led commerce marketing programs that drive reach, engagement and sales and is known as an agency leader focused on connecting big data and AI to create better ideas, optimized connections, and proven results. Most recently, Brown joined Tinuiti from Momentum Worldwide where he led their North America Commerce Practice and Atlanta office. He will report to Tinuiti’s Chief Solutions Officer, Obele Brown-West.

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“I’m excited to partner with each of Tinuiti’s clients to navigate the future of connected commerce and bring new brand experiences to life across the path to purchase by thoughtfully leveraging data, tech, and digital media. While I’m thrilled to join a company known for its industry-best depth of expertise, talent, and tech, what really attracted me to Tinuiti is the agency’s pronounced dedication to culture and the prioritization of its people-first values.”
– Shaun Brown, EVP, Commerce, Tinuiti

In addition, Katen Johal, who has a deep background in Amazon, Marketplaces and Retail Media Commerce, has been elevated from SVP of Business Development to Chief Growth Officer. Johal will continue to build on Tinuiti’s momentum of rapid growth — which has grown seven-fold over the past five years. He will leverage his unique combination of institutional knowledge of the firm and his decade-plus experience in developing and selling agency services. Former Chief Growth Officer Jesse Eisenberg was elevated to Chief Commercial Officer earlier this year.

These role updates mark a continuation in establishing the Tinuiti “E-Team” as a go-to-market team in response to the firm’s accelerated business growth. As announced in January, the new composition of the leadership team will provide better positioning to engage, deliver, and elevate client experience and performance to provide connected services to clients. Most recently, Tinuiti announced Max Cheprasov as Chief Transformation Officer and Justin Manus as Chief Technology Officer.

These appointments come alongside an ongoing restructuring of Tinuiti’s service lines to cement its position as the performance marketing firm of the future.

Solutions Team Evolution

Following Obele-Brown West’s elevation to Chief Solutions Officer leading the delivery of Tinuiti’s client-facing solutions, Tinuiti took the opportunity to evolve the solutions structure to drive integration across channels and integrate further, which includes key Solutions Team updates:

• Crystal Duncan, a 15-year veteran, has been announced as the SVP of Influencer Marketing, where she will head the new omnichannel Performance Influencer Practice, a full-funnel solution that delivers meaningful and measurable ROI for brands. Tinuiti has merged the Affiliate group, which works across the funnel to drive more conversations through brand loyalty programs, with Influencer to form a new Partnership Marketing Group.
• Pat Hayden, a 14-year Tinuitian, elevates to SVP, Solutions Integration, from SVP, Acquisition Media, to drive integration and accountability to further our strategic growth across the organization.
• Josh Brisco, a 10-year Tinuitian, elevates to Group VP, Acquisition Media, from VP, Growth Media, to lead Paid Search and drive incremental growth, integration and innovation for large divisions including: SEM, Growth Media and Shoppable Media.