Isobar boosts team with Naked's Banaie

by Andrew McCormick, Media Week 01-Jul-08, 07:30

LONDON - Isobar has hired former Naked UK managing partner Niku Banaie as vice-president of strategy as part of an injection of senior talent at the Aegis-owned digital network.

The full-service digital operation has strengthened its senior management team to "more aggressively drive digital marketing into international clients", according to David Pullan, president, Isobar global client management, who has made five appointments following a four-month review.

The other top-level appointment is Jamie Edwards, who has returned to the UK as vice-president of client services at Isobar, having helped launch Aegis network Vizeum in the US over the past two years.

Both Banaie and Edwards will report to Pullan, who added Isobar's client management responsibilities to his role of president of Aegis Services Solutions in March this year.

Further appointments include three new client services directors who will report to Edwards.
Michael Doherty has joined from AOL to work on Disney, while Jonathan Lines will manage Isobar's Johnson & Johnson business.

Amanda Flohr-Egile has joined from Isobar agency Molecular as a Paris-based client services director, leading Isobar's Renault and Pernod Ricard accounts.

Pullan said that, prior to the appointments, Isobar did not have the resource to secure certain opportunities.

"We want to be set up so that we can serve clients better and work with the internal agencies more clearly, he added. "It's important that Niku [Banaie] was very digital aware, knowledgeable and good at developing strategy for clients, while not being a digital snob."