Industry Moves: Former Time Vet Robin Domeniconi To Head Up MSFT Ad Sales In U.S.
This story was written by Tameka Kee.
After a string of high-profile ad exec departures, including the loss of Kevin Johnson, President of Platforms and Services, and Digital Sales GM Lisa Utzschneider, Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT) has made a key hire: former Time Inc. vet Robin Domeniconi. Starting January 1, Domeniconi will serve as VP of U.S. ad sales, reporting directly to VP of global sales and marketing Bill Shaughnessy; she'll oversee sales across MSFT's whole roster of digital products, including MSN and Windows Live, Xbox LIVE, Live Search, and even Facebook.
Domeniconi most recently served as a media and digital consultant to NY-based PE firm Avista Capital Partners; but she's a Time veteran, having served as president of the publisher's Media Group, as well as president and publisher of its Real Simple magazine. Prior to Time, she spent six years at *Meredith Corp.*, so MSFT is definitely getting a media and publishing industry insider. It's a smart move, because MSFT's ad team needs to be able to broker the kinds of massive ad sales deals that rivals like *Yahoo* and *Google* have already drafted with partners like Hearst and Publicis if it really wants to compete in the online advertising space.
By Tameka Kee