As General Manager and Chief of Staff, he will work with company lead, Tom Kenney, to grow the innovation team

Mobile advertising firm, Verve, has named Mark Ollila to the dual role of General Manager and Chief of Staff. In the said capacity, he will work closely with the company’s President and Chief Innovation Officer, Tom Kenney, to grow the team focused on advancing the evolution of mobile location advertising.

Previously from Nokia, he played an integral role in the development and roll-out of the brand’s services ranging from games, app stories, photo and video sharing as well as new publisher intake tools. He held multiple roles including leading the smart devices long-term road map and innovation portfolio.

He was also part of deal team between Nokia and Microsoft in 2011, where he managed product requirements across a strategic agreement. During his tenure with the tech giant, he delivered winning services and solutions and most recently, was responsible for complementary products in connected devices.

“Mark has a blended knowledge of the market and proven track record in driving revenue. His global experience in frontier, media, and mobile technology as well as entertainment experiences will empower Verve to accelerate innovation and introduce emerging revenue opportunities for brands and advertisers,” said Kenney.

Ollila is a member of Southern California’s start-up incubator EvoNexus’s selection committee and an expert in residence at UC Irvine’s Institute for Applied Innovation. He holds an executive MBA from London Business School and PhD in Computer Science from the Curtin University of Technology in Perth, Australia.

He is based in Carlsbad, California. He also serves as an advisor to multiple companies in entertainment, games, and new technology, and previously served on the advisory board of the Game Developers Conference (Mobile) and was a board member of EMEA’s Mobile Entertainment Forum.

Verve’s platform enables marketers to engage active consumers near and within points of purchase. Headquartered in New York City, Verve has offices in Washington DC, Chicago, San Diego, San Francisco, Los Angeles, London, Eastern Europe, India, and Southeast Asia.

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