GSI Commerce Appoints Marketing Services Chief

GSI Commerce Inc. announced Bill Mills has joined the company as vice president of corporate development for its Global Marketing Services division. In this newly developed role, Mills will lead the merger and acquisition activities for its marketing services segment, including post-acquisition integration operations, and will help execute the company's marketing services growth strategy.

Since announcing marketing services as a key initiative in 2007, the segment has emerged as an important contributor, fueled by strong organic growth and the acquisitions of e-Dialog, Silverlign, Pepperjam, MBS, M3 Mobile Marketing and, most recently, retargeting technology provider FetchBack Inc. The marketing services segment contributed annual revenue of $127.6 million in 2009, up from $26.9 million in 2007, and has approximately 950 employees.

“Bill's extensive experience leading M&A activities in the media and digital segments will be a valuable asset to GSI as we continue to seek opportunities to expand and strengthen our services,” said Chris Saridakis, chief executive officer of GSI's Marketing Services division. “With our existing offerings and expanding capabilities, we're well positioned to become a global leader in end-to-end marketing services, addressing all aspects of interactive marketing with a level of sophistication GSI clients have come to expect. We will remain focused on maximizing value to our clients by integrating core platforms and technologies across GSI assets. I look forward to Bill's leadership in managing this growth efficiently.”

“With consumers spending increasing amounts of time online – and marketing dollars following them – GSI's opportunities for continued growth of its interactive marketing services are extensive,” said Mills. “I look forward to leveraging my experience evaluating strategic opportunities and leading operational integration to ensure seamless transitions for clients while identifying solutions that are relevant to their marketing needs.”

Mills has more than 20 years corporate development experience with both large and entrepreneurial companies and has led more than 80 transactions. He joins GSI from Forbes Media, where he served as senior vice president of corporate development since 2007. Prior to Forbes Media, Mills was chief executive officer and chief financial officer of Zingy Inc., and was vice president of corporate development for DoubleClick Inc. where he led all worldwide acquisitions, strategic alliances and investments. He has also held senior management positions in the investment banking firms Salomon Brothers and Bear, Stearns & Co. Inc.

Mills joined GSI in May and reports to Saridakis.

GSI Commerce Appoints Marketing Services Chief

GSI Commerce Inc. appointed Chris Saridakis as chief executive officer of the company’s marketing services segment. In this capacity, Saridakis will oversee GSI’s existing marketing services businesses, e-Dialog and TrueAction, and will execute the company’s overall marketing services growth strategy, including the addition of new business lines, geographic expansion and further acquisitions.

Since announcing marketing services as a growth initiative in 2007, the segment has emerged as an important contributor to GSI’s growth and profitability, fueled by strong organic growth and the acquisitions of e-Dialog, Silverlign and Pepperjam. The Marketing Services segment contributed annual revenue of $127.6 million in 2009, up from $26.9 million in 2007, and has approximately 800 employees.

Saridakis joins GSI from Gannett Co., Inc., a leading news and information service, where he served as senior vice president and chief digital officer since 2008 and head of Gannet Marketing Services. Prior to his role with Gannett, Saridakis was CEO of PointRoll, and helped build the company into the leader in rich media, serving the world’s top creative and media ad agencies. Previous to PointRoll, Saridakis served as senior vice president and general manager of DoubleClick’s Global TechSolution division, during which time he expanded the company’s global footprint.

“Marketing services represents a tremendous opportunity for GSI with the dramatic shift of marketing dollars moving from traditional channels to online. Given the enormous void that currently exists in the online industry for an end-to-end marketing services company, I am looking forward to having Chris build this segment into the global leader in the space,” said Michael G. Rubin, founder and CEO of GSI. “Our e-commerce clients – and the industry as a whole- are becoming more sophisticated when it comes to interactive marketing. With the addition of Chris leading this segment, our clients can expect to gain further benefits from our cutting-edge, effective and measurable marketing solutions.”

“We are in the midst of a shift in consumer behavior, with people spending more time than ever online,” said Saridakis. “GSI is uniquely suited to lead the industry in responding to this shift by developing innovative marketing products on a global scale, including emerging areas such as mobile, social and data-driven products and services. Working with Michael Rubin and the rest of the GSI team is a fantastic opportunity for me to bring new marketing solutions to GSI clients – who are some of the leading brands in the world.”

Saridakis will officially join GSI on May 17, 2010, and report directly to Rubin.

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