Edelman today is announcing the appointments of Theresa LaMontagne to U.S. head of data and technology services and Jacob Loban to U.S. head of performance marketing. LaMontagne and Loban join Edelman following rapid expansion of the agency’s performance communications offering, including an industry-first, exclusive agency partnership with communications technology provider Cision.

Assuming a wholly new role for the agency, LaMontagne will drive Edelman’s earned audience strategy and product development. She will also develop a data and technology advisory capability and strengthen the existing audience intelligence services. Loban will be responsible for advancing the next phase of growth for Edelman’s paid search, social, display and e-commerce capabilities, and providing senior-level support on major accounts. Both will be based in New York and report to Dustin Johnson, U.S. head of transformation and innovation.

“We are pioneering a new combination of deep data and technology expertise with our earned heritage,” said Russell Dubner, Edelman’s U.S. CEO. “Performance Communications turns the attention and influence we earn every day for our clients into a source of insight, and cultivates a new audience to engage over time. Theresa and Jake are a core part of the team we are building to disrupt traditional models of marketing.”

LaMontagne joins from Verizon, where she led technology, programmatic and data science strategy, maximizing a significant annual media spend for one of the country’s largest advertisers. Previously, she headed the analytics and insights teams at both Wavemaker and Carat and created a suite of technology and data products and services. Loban comes to Edelman from PHD Media where he successfully launched their integrated digital offering, bringing together all performance and traditional digital channels into one, audience-led, solution for major accounts including Delta Air Lines and Carnival Cruise Line.

Edelman’s performance communications team is made up of 150+ analysts and data specialists who specialize in data strategy, discovery, first- and third-party data rationalization and rich business intelligence, all to accelerate the adoption and integration of earned audiences with paid and owned. These hires come on the heels of the announcement that Yanni Kotziagkiaouridi joined Edelman as the firm’s first-ever global head of Data & Analytics.

About Edelman

Edelman is a global communications firm that partners with businesses and organizations to evolve, promote and protect their brands and reputations. Our 6,000 people in more than 60 offices deliver communications strategies that give our clients the confidence to lead and act with certainty, earning the trust of their stakeholders. Our honors include the Cannes Lions Grand Prix for PR; Advertising Age’s 2019 A-List; the Holmes Report’s 2018 Global Digital Agency of the Year; and, five times, Glassdoor’s Best Places to Work. Since our founding in 1952, we have remained an independent, family-run business. Edelman owns specialty companies Edelman Intelligence (research) and United Entertainment Group (entertainment, sports, lifestyle).