DMA calls for brands to be more authentic in their customer engagement as it announces appointments of new Chair and Deputy

Karmarama’s Mark Runacus takes over as new Chair and
Starcount’s Caroline Worboys as Deputy Chair of the DMA Board

Mark Runacus, Chief Strategy Officer at Karmarama, has been named as the new Chair of the DMA Board, with Starcount MD Caroline Worboys named as Deputy Chair. Runacus and Worboys succeed Julia Porter and Shaun Bailey, CEO of Jacob Bailey, who took up their posts in 2014 and helped steer the organisation through a significant period of change as it merged with the IDM to become Europe’s largest marketing trade association and learning organisation.

As his tenure begins, Runacus said: “In a ‘post-truth’ world, the data-driven creative industries are best placed to lead a more authentic engagement with consumers. We’ve always been insight-driven rather than making decisions based on a belief or hunch. Now it’s time to build on the DMA Code that we launched in 2014, which highlights the responsibility we have to our customers in its simple, honest, and consumer-centric principles. As the newly appointed Chair of the DMA Board, I look forward to working with the data-driven creative industries to grasp this opportunity to lead the way once again by using data as an enabler to develop deeper and more authentic relationships with customers.

Chris Combemale, CEO of the DMA, said: “I am pleased to welcome Mark and Caroline as the new DMA Board leadership team and look forward to working with them to lead our sector through into its next phase of dramatic change over the coming years. A special thanks must also be made to Julia and Shaun as the outgoing Chair and Deputy Chair, as their tireless efforts over the last few years has helps us to launch a new DMA Code of practice and complete a successful merger with the IDM.”

Caroline Worboys, new deputy chair of the DMA Board said: “With Brexit on the horizon, it’s more important than ever that UK plc is open for business and our industry leads the globe in data-driven creativity, skills and training. The data-driven marketing and advertising industry is at the forefront of this opportunity for the UK, with data being integral to any brand wanting to build authentic experiences and relationships with customers. The training offered by the IDM is a key driver of the UK data-driven marketing industry’s success and I look forward to working over the coming years to build the IDM’s reputation globally.”

In addition to the appointment of a new Chair and Deputy Chair, Gavin Wheeler, CEO at WDMP and Michelle de Souza, Head of CRM and Group database at AgeUK, have been elected to 3 year terms at the DMA’s annual board elections. Julia Porter and Shaun Bailey, Chief Executive at Jacob Bailey, will both remain on the board to complete their respective terms, while Melanie Howard, Chair of Future Foundation and Richard Dutton, CMO at Engine both stand down having made significant contributions.

Mark Runacus has spent the last five years as the chair of the DMA Awards Committee, where he oversaw one of the most successful periods in the Awards history.