Connected, personalized experiences begin with knowing customers individually. But challenges like cookie deprecation and privacy regulations make that increasingly difficult. That’s where we come in.
With innovative, industry-leading data and identity solutions, we help global enterprise brands make sense of their customer data strategy and drive greater business growth through person-based experiences. Our Merkury identity platform empowers brands to own and control first-party identity at an individual level. We deliver better performance, more transparency, simple connections, and important integrations. And we’re the partner who can ensure your organization wins in a cookieless world.
- Walter Flaat
- Canada Market Lead
-
Walter Flaat leads Merkle / CXM in Canada. His team brings Merkle’s leading global capabilities to the local market while deeply integrating them with the local social and cultural diversity that defines Canada. He is also Chief Data Officer for dentsu Canada, providing executive support and guidance for the development of dentsu’s data products & services across all service lines.
Previously, Walter served as Chief Data Officer for dentsu Netherlands, where he spearheaded the development of integrated data & analytics unit DNA, now known as DDL (dentsu Data Labs). This model transformed the delivery of data services in an agency context from primarily value-added reporting - to industry leading data solutions. The DDL model has since expanded globally.
Before transferring to Canada, Walter also implemented best-in-class GDPR compliance in the local market, earning him recognition as a leader in the European privacy domain.
Prior to that, he served as Head of Data & Media Partnerships for Amnet and was a leading architect for DMP & CRM implementations across the EMEA region.
- /content/dam/merkle/en/content-fragments/images-content-fragments/leadership-headshots/Merkle-Walter-Flaat-Headshot.jpg
- Walter Flaat
- https://www.linkedin.com/in/walterflaat/
- 14
- Vimal Badiani
- VP - Managing Director, Merkle ME
-
Vim moved to Dubai in late 2017 to launch Merkle’s Performance Media capabilities in the region. In early 2020, he moved into a position leading Dentsu’s MENA’s Performance Media line of business, continuing to build our presence in the region and maintaining strong relationship with key clients by positioning Dentsu as a key strategic partner. As well as this, Vim has been responsible for ensuring that our delivery, service levels and performance for clients is always industry leading & building on best in class European delivery capabilities. Vim joined Merkle over 10 years ago as an Account Manager and through his time in London, worked his way up to Head of Paid Search, overseeing a team of 120 people across all paid search activity, continuing to serve the company’s ethos in serving best in class paid search campaign management for EMEA clients, including Estee Lauder and Canon Inc.
Vim has always had a passion for supporting SMEs scale through Performance Media, with the transparency biddable media brings to clients. Digital advertising is an invaluable channel for clients to understand their audiences and ensure brand’s can use data to be front of mind when relevant. Working with several clients in the region to drive customer acquisition, Vim has seen SMEs grow and expand from UAE in to KSA and beyond through smart, audience-led Performance Media strategies.
- /content/dam/merkle/en/content-fragments/images-content-fragments/leadership-headshots/Headshot-Placeholder-Color-02.png
- Vimal Badiani
- Tim Perlstein
- Chief Marketing Officer, Americas
-
Tim joined Merkle in March 2021 as SVP, Experience & Commerce Solutions, to help establish Merkle’s global Experience & Commerce practice area –a broad set of capabilities and solutions that are critical to Merkle’s vision for complete, connected customer experience transformation. As CMO, Americas, Tim remains focused on elevating and extending Merkle’s leadership in data-driven, technology-enabled customer experience services for tomorrow’s most engaging, most relevant, most successful brands.
Prior to Merkle, Tim served as CEO of United in Gaming, Inc., a social platform for amateur esports competition, and previously served as Interim CMO of Skills Matter, the leading global community and continuous learning platform for software engineers. He also created Tanjent Partners in 2015 as a boutique consulting firm focused on growth strategy, marketing, and commerce. Through Tanjent, Tim has worked with a diverse array of firms in media, technology, CPG/ecommerce, and professional services (including multiple agencies at various stages of growth).
Previously, Tim served as SVP Strategy & Insights and then SVP Managing Director of Fullscreen's brand group. In these roles Tim managed a range of functions including strategy, measurement and insights, operations, strategic planning, and B2B marketing, supporting sustained double-digit growth over a three-year period and a successful exit to AT&T in 2018.
Prior to Fullscreen, Tim served as Chief Strategy Officer for Razorfish, a global digital agency, where he led the agency's strategic planning, corporate development, and service innovation functions. During his tenure, he transformed the agency's strategy discipline into a market-leading digital consulting practice, establishing Razorfish as "one of the strongest strategy-led marketing service providers in the industry," according to Gartner Research.
Tim joined Razorfish from Yahoo!, where he served as Director of Consumer & Customer Innovation. He also led online marketing for the Yahoo! Media Group and held multiple marketing and product management roles at Knight Ridder Digital, the online news division of the US’s second-largest newspaper publisher. Prior to Knight Ridder, Tim served as head writer for Pallotta TeamWorks, supporting massive-scale fundraising efforts which netted over $69 million for AIDS and breast cancer charities in a single year.
Tim earned his undergraduate degree in Fine Arts from Harvard University, and his MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business, along with certificates in Global and Public Management, with a focus on international development. He lives in Austin, TX (physically), airplane aisle seats (preferably), and the itty-bitty rectangular window of your favorite video conferencing tool.
- /content/dam/merkle/en/content-fragments/images-content-fragments/leadership-headshots/Merkle-Tim-Perlstein-Headshot.jpg
- Tim Perlstein
- https://www.linkedin.com/in/timperlstein/
- 15
- Thomas Walter
- CSO, EMEA and Northern Europe Lead, Experience Platforms
-
Thomas is an astute leader with 20 years of experience and full-stack knowhow in CX transformation. Currently he is the Chief Services Officer for Merkle NE, a cluster within EMEA consisting of 7 dedicated solution practices and a total of 750 colleagues, and part of Merkle´s Experience and Commerce leadership team.
Throughout his career Thomas collected experiences and became a thought leader in various business areas such as corporate IT, business consulting, consumer research, data science, mobile business, ecommerce and digital business strategies.
Thomas’s experience is built upon a broad educational background, with a MSc in engineering and a PhD in data sciences. He is a well-rehearsed speaker, and shares his expertise as a university lecturer in digital business management. He is a passionate sportsman and barista.
- /content/dam/merkle/en/content-fragments/images-content-fragments/leadership-headshots/e-and-c/Thomas-Walter-Headshot.jpg
- Thomas Walter
- https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomaspierrewalter/
- Thomas Walter
- Chief Solutions Officer, EMEA and Northern Europe Lead, Experience Platforms
-
Thomas is an astute leader with 20 years of experience and full-stack knowhow in CX transformation. Currently he is the Chief Services Officer for Merkle NE, a cluster within EMEA consisting of 7 dedicated solution practices and a total of 750 colleagues, and part of Merkle´s Experience and Commerce leadership team.
Throughout his career Thomas collected experiences and became a thought leader in various business areas such as corporate IT, business consulting, consumer research, data science, mobile business, ecommerce and digital business strategies.
Thomas’s experience is built upon a broad educational background, with a MSc in engineering and a PhD in data sciences. He is a well-rehearsed speaker, and shares his expertise as a university lecturer in digital business management. He is a passionate sportsman and barista.
- /content/dam/merkle/en/content-fragments/images-content-fragments/leadership-headshots/e-and-c/Thomas-Walter-Headshot.jpg
- Thomas Walter
- https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomaspierrewalter/
- Sylvain Panzani
- Americas Lead, B2B & High Tech
-
Sylvain is Executive Vice President and Client Partner in Merkle’s Hi-Tech and B2B practices. Sylvain started his career as a strategy consultant before leading various teams in operational marketing function in the Hi-Tech industry. He held various positions in both consumer and B2B in EMEA, including Business Intelligence, Field Marketing, and Marketing Operations. He joined Merkle’s client organization in 2016, and moved to the USA soon after, and is now based in the DMV area.
Sylvain’s specialties include CRM, direct marketing, budget, planning and process optimization, database marketing, change management, business intelligence, transactional demand generation, B2B lead generation, sales enablement and marketing programs. When he is not traveling for clients, he enjoys time with his family, plays soccer and rugby, and loves long trails in the Shenandoah.
- /content/dam/merkle/en/content-fragments/images-content-fragments/leadership-headshots/Merkle-Sylvain-Panzani-Headshot.jpg
- Sylvain Panzani
- https://www.linkedin.com/in/sylvain-panzani-1608333/
- Susan Zoch
- Global Chief Counsel
-
Susan is Merkle’s General Counsel. With her leadership, Merkle’s legal department advises and enables the business to accelerate sustainable growth and achieve competitive advantage, while working together, championing the company’s values, and leading by example. Susan leverages more than 25 years of legal experience across a broad spectrum of disciplines, including commercial transactions, privacy and data protection, technology, litigation, compliance, and human resources.
Prior to joining Merkle, Susan served in a similar role at Vertis Communications and was in private practice at Baker Botts in Washington DC. She clerked for the US District Court for the Northern District of Texas. She holds a JD from The University of Texas School of Law, where she was Executive Editor of the Texas Law Review, and a BA from Rice University.
- /content/dam/merkle/en/content-fragments/images-content-fragments/leadership-headshots/Merkle-Susan-Zoch-Headshot.jpg
- Susan Zoch
- 12
- Sunil Rao
- Americas Lead, Analytics & Technology
-
Sunil bring over 13 years of experience in advanced analytics, marketing technology and CRM. He is an expert in digital data, audience platforms and leverages his deep expertise in quantitative methods to apply them in today’s digital world.
He currently leads Merkle’s Audience Science & Management practice where his focus is to help clients deliver a superior customer experience and drive ROI through the application of 1st party data, advanced analytics, and state of the art marketing technology platforms. He also leads the creation of unique and integrated solutions across Merkle’s proprietary identity and data platform Merkury and leading marketing technology providers.
He has led analytics engagements across industry verticals for a variety of clients including AT&T, Universal Orlando, Citizens Bank, American Express, Abercrombie & Fitch, Sony, Aviva Insurance and many others.
Sunil has a Master’s degree in Engineering from NC State University.
- /content/dam/merkle/en/content-fragments/images-content-fragments/leadership-headshots/merkle-sunil-rao-headshot.jpg
- Sunil Rao
- 16
- Sophie Lee
- Chief Financial Officer, APAC
-
Since joining dentsu in 2016, Sophie has held a variety of senior finance roles (Commercial Finance, Compliance, Controllership, and CFO for Philippines). She assisted Merkle in establishing its first APAC footprint in 2018 by assisting with pitches, M&A, project management, and finance.
Sophie has 20 years of international experience in a variety of industries (audit, banking, manufacturing, commodities, and advertising). She is a CPA with an MBA from the National University of Singapore and a double master's degree in finance and management from the University of Paris. She speaks Mandarin, Cantonese, and French.
- /content/dam/merkle/en/content-fragments/images-content-fragments/leadership-headshots/Merkle-Sophie-Lee-Headshot.jpg
- Sophie Lee
- https://www.linkedin.com/in/sophie-lee-65408331/
- 30
- Shirli Zelcer
- Global Lead, Analytics & Technology
-
Shirli is the Global Head of Analytics and Technology at Merkle. With over 20 years of experience in analytics and insights, business advisory and organizational design, artificial intelligence and data science, and cloud and marketing technologies, Shirli is at the forefront of innovation ranging from ethical AI and advancements in cloud engineering to future-proofing data literate organizations around zero-party data.
At Merkle, Shirli is responsible for leading the Analytics & Marketing Technology practice area, a global division of more than 5,600 practitioners across the Americas, EMEA, and APAC, covering services that include consumer and experience insights; product and market intelligence; data science and artificial intelligence; and marketing technology, big data infrastructure, and cloud engineering.
Her team’s work is wide-ranging, covering everything from enterprise segmentation and acquisition modeling to CDP and data infrastructure implementation to advanced media mix modeling, personalization strategies, and bespoke AI solutions in areas including pricing, supply chain, and competitive intelligence.
Shirli has worked across numerous industries, but has especially deep experience in travel, media and entertainment, retail, high tech, and financial services, having partnered with brands including Disney, Dell, Universal Parks and Resorts, Royal Caribbean, Marriott, and Nike.
Prior to joining Merkle, Shirli worked for Capital One in the Marketing and Analysis department, responsible for developing credit risk models, NPV models, and DOE testing. Shirli has both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in Statistics from Cornell University.
- /content/dam/merkle/en/content-fragments/images-content-fragments/leadership-headshots/Merkle-Shirli-Zelcer-Headshot.jpg
- Shirli Zelcer
- https://www.linkedin.com/in/shirlizelcer/
- 11
- Sheerah Davis
- Chief People Officer, Americas
-
Sheerah is a seasoned human resources strategist with over 25 years of HR experience. She is passionate about employee engagement and leading through change and she believes in leveraging employee and business data to inform HR practices and decisions within the businesses she supports.
Prior to joining Merkle, Sheerah has served as the global HR lead for Dentsu Sports International, Inc., a global sports marketing network comprised of MKTG Sports + Entertainment, Halo Sport, and Dentsu Sports. As the CPO, Sheerah led the strategic development of the HR function, and the development and implementation of an integrated HR strategy that has helped build a high-performance, values-based culture through broad business transformation and change.
Prior to that, Sheerah was the U.S. sports and entertainment HR lead for Dentsu International, Inc. where she led HR for various U.S. brands such as: Mitchell, MKTG, The Story Lab, and GleamFutures which provided the framework for the Dentsu International’s entertainment and sports offering. Sheerah also helped lead HR for the U.S. creative and content service line before her transition to sports and entertainment.
During Sheerah’s career, she has worked in various industries including marketing, public relations, distribution, and healthcare and has had the opportunity to support leading industry brands such as Disney, Walmart, Goldman Sachs, Nissan, Goodyear, Toyota and others. Sheerah has been recognized by her peers as being a collaborative leader and has gained a reputation for her ability to build relationships, and successfully navigate complex and challenging situations while remaining committed to maintaining a strong, values-driven culture.
- /content/dam/merkle/en/content-fragments/images-content-fragments/leadership-headshots/Merkle-Sheerah-Davis-Headshot.jpg
- Sheerah Davis
- https://www.linkedin.com/in/sheerahdavis/
Adobe
AWS
Google
Salesforce
Snowflake