Martin Albrecht

CEO Worldwide, Co-Founder
London

Martin founded Crossmedia in 2000 with kindred spirit, Kamran Asghar. Like Kamran, Martin cut his professional teeth at Ogilvy in New York, after earlier stints at places like Lintas in his native Germany. Don’t let the dulcet tones of his favorite group ABBA fool you, Martin is an outspoken advocate for integrity and transparency in the agency business, never mincing words when railing against the inefficiencies and short-term outlook that is all too pervasive.

Martin hopes that #XMVoice will promote “critical thinking, which is the foundation of all innovation.” Form him, #XMVoice is Crossmedia‘s expression of the importance of curiosity.

Julia Altmann

Senior Consultant
Hamburg

Julia Altmann is a true Crossmedia native. She joined Crossmedia right after completing her bachelor’s degree in applied media science and a master’s degree in media & communication science in 2015. Julia’s approach to media planning is informed by her deep interest in sustainable media and she is never shy to show her clients new paths. When the senior consultant is not talking about her favorite travel destination Canada, you can find her enjoying great food at Hamburg’s restaurants or even in her own kitchen, as she loves to try out new recipes.

For Julia, “Think for yourself” means “to not take things for granted, to critically question and to develop them further.”

Samuel Andratschke

Director Social Media Advertising
Düsseldorf

Samuel joined Crossmedia in August 2021, coming from Omnicom Media Group Germany where he held different positions in digital over the years. He now heads up Crossmedia’s Social Media Advertising unit. If there was one thing that the full-hearted vegetarian could change within the industry, it would be its infamous ‘work-hard-play-hard’ mentality. Samuel is convinced that exceptional work is characterized by quality, not quantity.

Besides comms and media, Samuel is passionate about sustainability, animal welfare, and astronomy. He can easily fill several hours of conversation with his knowledge of black holes and other phenomena of the universe.

For him, “Think for yourself” means questioning established patterns, having the courage to speak uncomfortable truths, and not blindly following every trend.

Kamran Asghar

U.S. CEO, Co-Founder
New York

Kamran launched Crossmedia in New York in 2000 along with Martin Albrecht. Over the past two decades, Crossmedia has grown into a global, scaled indie media agency that offers brand marketers a distinct alternative to typical holding company models and practices.

Much of Crossmedia’s DNA of transparency, innovation and equity were seeded in reaction to Kamran’s experiences working at places like Ogilvy. Kamran has been named a Mediaweek All-Star, but what he’s most proud of is the inclusive, accountable yet nurturing culture that his team has cultivated as validated by Ad Age’s Best Places to Work kudo in 2020 and 2021.

Kamran hopes that #XMVoice will offer a dynamic forum for “independent thinking in media.”

Matt Asman

Director Analytics Operations
New York

Matt joined Crossmedia’s Redbox analytics practice in 2019. He was a sociology major in college and still has what C. Wright Mills would call the “sociological imagination” – that is, the curiosity to question how larger societal structures and systems influence the ways that individuals think and act. He could talk for hours about emerging tech, attribution methodology, politics and culture as is insanely passionate about live music.

For Matt, thinking for yourself means approaching industry trends and emerging platforms with a healthy mix of curiosity, critical thinking and skepticism rather than blinding buying into the hype.

Matthias Bade

Managing Director
Düsseldorf

Matthias Bade has been a member of the Crossmedia circle since 2004, proving that strategy can be both expedient and surprising.

Having played a key role in the founding and development of the Berlin office, he is now Managing Director at the independent media agency after a brief pit stop at OMD Germany. His pragmatism makes him extremely solution-oriented, while his conscientiousness leaves no room for mistakes. As a passionate long-distance runner, he knows that it’s not speed that counts, but persistence. While he is professionally concerned with issues such as transparency, advertising impact and terms and conditions, in his private life he is driven by travels and politics. What the graduate of business administration hates are bad pitches and agencies that go along with everything.

“Think for yourself”, one of Crossmedia’s mottos, is undisputed for him. But “thinking together” makes it even more awesome.

Lee Beale

Former Managing Partner
New York

Lee Beale’s world view was shaped by the rigor and accountability of CPG marketing. After spending many formative years at Reckitt Benckiser and GlaxoSmithKline in his native U.K, Lee hopped the pond to work at Omnicom Media Group in New York before joining Crossmedia in the Big Apple.

Widely accepted as Crossmedia’s King of Posh, Lee’s vision was instrumental in the growth of the agency’s Redbox Intelligence offering. An Adweek Media All-Star honoree, Lee lives to harness actionable insights from unstructured client marketing data. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that he wanted #XMVoice to be all about measurement, measurement, measurement.

Markus Biermann

Founder and Managing Director
Düsseldorf

The true nonconformist founded CROSSMEDIA in 1997 in Düsseldorf, Germany. Right from the start he promoted a transparent working model and raised media-neutral customer consultation to a quality feature.

Markus is a man of conviction. He works differently, is always on the move and thinks quickly – in anything but classic, fixed patterns. As early as 2001, he implemented the far-reaching separation of planning and buying. While many considered the bold move a mistake at the time, they were quickly proven wrong. In his unconventional way of thinking., Markus knew exactly that success can be measured in more than gained profit and that independence and ethical principles can be a valuable USP from an entrepreneurial point of view. All this is underpinned by the annual CROSSMEDIA transparency report which was introduced in 2007.

If there’s one thing Markus hates, it’s standing still and not being able to turn the big wheels. Every now and then he takes a break to re-charge and spend time with his children and his wife at their holiday home in Holland or take a joyride on his motorcycle.

Anne Bologna

Chief Strategy Officer
New York

Anne Bologna’s eclectic advertising career has taken many exciting twists and turns. She’s run Strategy at shops as diverse as Fallon, one of old school Madison Avenue’s meccas of creativity, as well as at iCrossing, a pioneer in digital advertising. She has also taken the entrepreneurial plunge at various points in her career, most notably as a co-founder of Toy, the agency that created Elf Yourself, one of the most viral holiday campaigns in history. Anne also co-founded HearstLab, a venture fund for early-stage startups with female founders.

Anne sees #XMVoice as an exciting new platform anchored by reason, inspiration and provocation, three hallmarks of Crossmedia’s DNA.

Jean Michel Christ

Former Head of Influencer Relations
Düsseldorf

After working in the fields of public relations, audience development, editing, marketing & sales and social media for years, it comes as no surprise that Jean Michel is a true all-rounder in all things communication. The studied linguist und historian with a focus on media and film studies analyzed the needs of customers and target groups in his very own and unique way. As Head of Influencer Relations he brought his in-depth experience, irrepressible passion and a steadily growing network to the Crossmedia table between 2019 and 2024.

Jean Michel considers himself a storyteller and wanted #XMVoice to encourage uncomfortable thinking and to question familiar patters, because “the result always outweigh the efforts.”

Svenja Erdmann

Head of Programmatic Development & Innovation
Düsseldorf

Svenja Erdmann joined Crossmedia in 2019. She has been leading the Nucleus team in a job share since 2022, enthusiastically shaping Crossmedia’s programmatic offering for data-driven and customer-centric marketing communications. Svenja is perfect for the job, because she could literally spend ages discussing the advantages of programmatic over direct buying. If there’s one thing she could change in the Business, it’s that everyone involved would finally stop clinging to cookies and instead try new ways and solutions. This is exactly what “thinking for yourself makes you smart” means to her: the freedom to question entrenched ways of thinking and structures and to be open to new approaches and solutions. In her leisure time, Svenja can often be found at events. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a concert, the theater or a vaudeville show – the huge energy that arises during such live performances is what fascinates her.

Maik Erkelenz

Director Business Consulting
Düsseldorf

After completing his master’s degree with distinction in Marketing Finance at Maastricht University and stops at BBDO and Interone, Maik Erkelenz joined our worknet partner adisfaction in 2017, where he expanded his knowledge in the field of business consulting. Since January 2020, Maik has been in charge of driving the development of Crossmedia’s consulting unit hugo. As Director Business Consulting, Maik knows that marketing depends on the perfect mix of all disciplines. CRM is the big keyword that occupies and fascinates the foresighted pragmatist on a daily basis.

For the sports fanatic, the #XMVoice motto “Think for yourself” means that despite all technical advances, human reasoning must be preserved in order to close gaps in the measurement landscape – because good marketing only works when data analysis and logic come together.

Dominik Etscheit

Former Client Service Director
Düsseldorf

Dominik Etscheit joined Crossmedia in May 2020 after several years at OMD Germany. As Unit Director, the Düsseldorf native was able to draw on his rich experience in advising clients in the fields of beauty, FMCG and e-commerce, among others, as well as his strong social skills. He quickly expanded his area of responsibility with the position of Client Service Director. With his honest, creative and open nature, it was easy for the business psychology graduate to motivate those around him.

For him, “Think for yourself” means speaking unpleasant truths and thus creating value for everyone involved.

Filipe Gouveia

Global Account Director
London

With over 12 years of experience under his belt, Filipe Gouveia has made it his mission to help businesses grow through innovation and media excellence. Born in Portugal, Filipe moved to London in 2011 to pursue his career in marketing and media. After obtaining his diploma from the London School of Marketing, he initially worked in digital marketing and strategy before making the switch to media and joining global media network PHD in 2018. He has been with Crossmedia London since 2021, holding the position of Global Account Director and managing clients such as Airbus, Etihad and S&P Global. When he is not fighting for the best solutions for his clients, Filipe enjoys exploring the London food scene.

For Filipe, “thinking for yourself” means to always keep pushing the envelope and to explore uncharted terrain.

Marius Hallet

Director Strategy & Analytics
Düsseldorf

During his business studies, Marius worked at a bank where he quickly realized that he needed a change. Crossmedia matches his talent for numbers with his passion for communication and media. Having worked at Crossmedia’s media planning, strategic consulting and marketing analytics departments, Marius is now Director Strategy & Analytics at XCCELERATE, Crossmedia’s agile strategy unit. Here, he brings everything he learned in his almost ten-year media career to the table and promotes future-relevant topics for the benefit of the wider Crossmedia worknet.

As a modern trendsetter, Marius would like to shine a light on “learning by doing” with the help of #XMVoice.

Tilman Henschke

Strategy Manager
London

Tilman joined Crossmedia as an intern right after completing his bachelor’s degree in economics with a specialization in emerging markets in 2018. Simply trying something outside of his comfort zone has turned into over 5 years in the Crossmedia London office. Tilman has worked across all global accounts managed out of London, switching roles from account management to data analytics to finding his passion as a strategist taking on international pitches. During his time in London, alongside work, he completed a master’s in political science and is not shy to debate current affairs, especially during the London office’s monthly Open Forums, which he created. He has grown to love British pub culture, is an avid reader and enjoys travelling to new places.

For Tilman, “Think for yourself” means taking initiative, being open-minded and most importantly compassionate along the way.

Florian Holub

Director Strategy & Analytics
Düsseldorf

Florian Holub has been with the independent media agency since 2010 and is familiar with the multifacted nature of media planning from his various positions in different CROSSMEDIA teams. Known and respected for his strategic thinking, he is now Director Strategy & Analytics. With XCCELERATE, a unit which he helped to establish, he is driving the development of solutions, tools and offers that provide uncomplicated access to complex processes within the advertising industry. Besides his weakness for good books, travel and photography, Florian is professionally driven by topics such as incremental reach, target group segmentation and brand personality models. He has a deep desire for media to become a design discipline again: creative, at eye level, independent, results-oriented and fun.

For the studied media manager, #XMVoice stands for “questioning, challenging, reading between the lines and thinking beyond the necessary.”

Markus Hoppe

Guest Author
Founder and CEO, WELCOMING OUT

Curtis Hougland

Guest Author
CEO People First

Curtis is the founder of People First, an agency specializing in peer-to-peer marketing and campaigning and along with Crossmedia, is a member of independent agency collective Dawn. Curtis works within Crossmedia to pioneer ads from micro-influencers. People First built the capability to source content from any community on any channel in any language at scale. He believes that real people – patients, customers, employees, neighbors – sharing lived experiences is the most powerful marketing today. He applies this relational marketing to support advocacy campaigns on climate change, public health, political disinformation, and social justice, among others. Curtis understands how consumers increasingly trust voices in their communities over the institutions of media, corporations, and government. He wishes marketers would awake to this reality. He is tremendously proud of his company’s track record of promoting from within, his roots within Crossmedia, his origin story in the public good, and his championing of the people.

Jana Kessler

Former Student Assistant
Düsseldorf

Jana was part of CROSSMEDIA between the fall of 2021 and spring 2023, supporting the Corporate Communications team at the Düsseldorf office alongside her studies. On the job, Jana often pondered the question why social changes are commonly referred to as “trends” in the advertising industry. In the eyes of the Multimedia and Communications Management student, doing so diminishes the significance of a host of important topics and distorts their raison d’être. In her private life, Jana is passionate about hip-hop, music videos, concerts and festivals and has an encyclopedic knowledge of song lyrics that is second to none. In her free time, Jana can be found indoors and outdoors with her friends playing board games, skateboarding or even in her favorite beer garden.

For Jana, “think for yourself” means always trusting your own opinion despite the influences of your environment and thus finding your own strengths.

Jay Krihak

Former Executive Director
New York

Jay Krihak was one of Crossmedia’s most vocal evangelists for maximizing the potential of data and technology on behalf of brand marketers in an increasingly digital marketplace. While at MEC, he advised the likes of AT&T, Dr. Pepper, Xerox, and Novartis on their digital transformation strategies. Informed by experiences at breakout media and technology players like Millennial Media and Pandora, Jay returned to the agency world to lead Crossmedia’s audience consulting and activation practice between 2017 and 2023.

As a videogame devotee whose dedication can be traced as far back as Guitar Hero, Jay is a staunch proponent of more fun in advertising. He hopes #XMVoice will offer a platform for provocative, contrarian, joyous thinking.

Stephanie Marchio

Former Client Service Director
Düsseldorf

Stephanie Marchio started at Crossmedia in 2011 after her international studies in the Netherlands and a foray into the digital start-up world. As Client Service Director, she was particularly enthusiastic about digital trends and business models in brand building that possess a pioneering spirit. Teamwork and close cooperation with the clients were the foundation of her unit and the key to successful campaigns. In her spare time, she is involved in the broad field of personal development, especially digital mindfulness. Stephanie tries to discover something new every day – be it a new way to work, a new museum, new locations or a new playground with her daughter.

For Stephanie, #XMVoice embodies “freedom and self-determination” and is in harmony with her varied life – on a professional as well as a personal level.

Sven Metz

Former Director Programmatic Advertising
Düsseldorf

Sven Metz joined CROSSMEDIA from late 2019 until 2022 with the aim of evolving the agency’s programmatic product. Before his career in media with stints at MediaCom, Group M and Ogilvy, Sven worked as a tutor for disadvantaged children. His passions include modern history, which continues to fascinate him past his master’s degree in the same field. He loves dealing with complex problems and processes and hates putting quantity over quality.

What Sven likes about #XMVoice is that the platform highlights new topics and challenges until “they have been thought through, understood and tackled.”

Connor Mulvaney

Former Associate Director
Philadelphia

Connor joined Crossmedia’s Marketplace team in 2019 focusing largely on the agency’s programmatic practice. To him, media activation has always contained aspects of min-maxing found in the gaming world – knowing when and how to make incremental campaign changes to drive success. His passion for gaming intersects with many aspects of his work and personal life. He is on an on-going mission to dispel outdated stereotypes of a disconnected gamer-guy playing from his mother’s basement. On the contrary, he plays from his OWN basement and sees gaming as a way to enhance social relationships and community. Connor is excited to be at the forefront of the movement as the digital landscape evolves and marketers better understand the relatively untapped potential of media buying in gaming and esports.

To him, #XMVoice is all about connection, inspiration and the exchange of fresh opinions.

Dirk Nögel

Director Digital Products / Innovation
Düsseldorf

Dirk has been with Crossmedia since 2009. In his long career, the qualified social economist has dedicated himself to a wide variety of tasks: from classic consulting to the development of Crossmedia Verified for quality assurance in digital campaigns or the founding Crossmedia’s in-house programmatic practice, Dirk has always been a driver of innovation. It was only logical for him to take on the role of Director Digital Products & Innovations in 2016, which sees him developing new products and forward-looking solutions for the agency. When he’s not talking about his current favorite topic, AI, Dirk’s focus is clearly on his children – they way they discover the world with new eyes is absolutely fascinating to him.

For Dirk, thinking for yourself means constantly questioning yourself and simply putting things into practice. Even if you think you know how something works, you’ve never really understood it until you’ve done it yourself.

Ali Plonchak

Managing Partner
New York

In a job-hopping industry, Ali has spent her entire 14-year career at Crossmedia. She joined as Employee #9 straight out of college and is now a managing partner, the youngest one at the agency. Ali has been important in shaping the agency’s DNA, one that is renowned for transparency and a vibrant, diverse and generous culture.

Ali’s vast list of accomplishments include building the agency’s digital practice as well as launching its successful Los Angeles office. Most recently, she developed a system to collaborate with clients to arrive at scopes of work that actually drive value for their brands.

Ali wants #XMVoice to be a bullhorn to shake the industry out of its “unhealthy obsession with hyper-personalization.”

Daniela Pohle

Director Strategy & Analytics
Düsseldorf

Together with Marius Hallet and Florian Holub, Daniela forms the unbeatable management trio of Crossmedia’s XCCELERATE team. The agile strategy unit spearheads constant technological change within the agency. Both a family and a career person, Daniela is not only a mother of two but has been working in a variety of roles from planning to controlling and analysis since she started as a trainee in 2007. Today, she applies her exceptional analytical skills to the development of innovative offers, tools and services.

For Daniela, #XMVoice embodies “freedom and responsibility. To stand up for yourself and discuss, to reflect and develop.”

Sebastian Schichtel

Managing Director
Düsseldorf

The designated digital expert has successfully advanced the development of programmatic and data-based communication solutions of Crossmedia and thus played a key role in an important transformation of the media agency.

In the admirable tightrope act between outstanding eloquence and infectious humor, Sebastian finds surprising and targeted strategies for everything and everyone. Pleasantly unpretentious and pragmatic, he gets to the point quickly – even in an area that many people perceive as a black box. His conscientiousness and his trained eye for detail have been adding to Crossmedia since 2007.

For Sebastian #XMVoice represents essential core values of Crossmedia: “On the one hand, the freedom to do the right things, on the other hand, the obligation to take responsibility for one’s own actions.”

Michael Schmitz

Managing Partner
Düsseldorf

Wer Michael kennt, schätzt seinen scharfen Verstand ebenso wie seinen subtilen Humor. Mit über 17 Jahren Erfahrung im Business darf Michael sich zurecht Digital-Pionier schimpfen. Bereits 2006, also zur Blütezeit der WAP-Seiten und noch vor dem Start des ersten iPhones, kam er zu CROSSMEDIA – damals als einer der ersten Spezialisten für den rasant wachsenden Bereich SEA. Seitdem hat er das Leistungsangebot des Independents entscheidend mitgeprägt und sowohl den Auf- und Ausbau des datengetriebenen, programmatischen Angebotes, als auch die Etablierung von Crossmedia als eine der führenden Paid-Social-Agenturen in Deutschland vorangetrieben.

„Selber denken macht schlau“ bedeutet für Michael, immer wieder neue Themen zu durchdringen, Verknüpfungen herzustellen und etwas Besseres daraus entstehen zu lassen.

Matthias Schneider

Group Head RedBox
Düsseldorf

Matthias Schneider kicked off his media career by joining worknet partner Brandlocal in 2017 as a Geo Intelligence Analyst, specializing in topics such as gravitational analysis, catchment area determination, regional advertising impact, data intersection and hotspot analysis. Even though his primary focus as Group Head of Crossmedia’s RedBox has been digital analytics since summer 2021, geo intelligence with all its facets has always remained a matter close to his heart.

What bothers Matthias most in the industry is that analysis projects are still too often treated neglectfully, despite their importance for numerous optimization processes. For the geography graduate, who is particularly concerned with sustainability issues in his private life, the #XMVoice motto means thinking critically and having the greatest possible freedom – because this is the only way to achieve the perfect solution for everyone involved.

Philipp Schneider

Guest Author
Head of Marketing DACH | YouGov

Philipp has been with international data analytics group YouGov in various marketing roles since 2015. He is currently Head of Marketing DACH and is responsible for all corporate communications in the German speaking regions. Before joining YouGov, he worked as an editor and project manager at a Cologne based PR agency. He is a regular columnist for German economic and marketing titles WirtschaftsWoche and Horizont.

Jens Schnückel

Former Business Development
Düsseldorf

The trained retail salesman and studied communications manager is an experienced consultant, having worked in leading roles at Fuji, BBDO, Rempen & Partner and Wensauer & Partner for many years.

An entrepreneur himself, Jens founded Brand Activation Group more than ten years ago. His retail expertise is based on many years of experience with retail customers and as a partner in a medium-sized retail company. From 2016 onwards, the industry expert first pushed the launch of the Crossmedia subsidiary BRANDLOCAL and expanded the agency’s business in the field of geo-intelligence analytics and media optimization, eventually overseeing Crossmedia’s business development. In 2023, Jens decided to pursue new endeavours outside of Crossmedia.

For the classic car fan, #XMVoice stands for constantly rethinking media and giving important thoughts about it a forum.

Armin Schroeder

Managing Director & Partner
Düsseldorf

After holding positions at various creative agencies, Armin Schroeder joined Crossmedia in 2006. With many years of experience in brand communication, creation and technology under his belt, his focus is on the overarching transformation of the independent agency and the innovation of its offering. The digital expert has been part Crossmedia’s management team since 2012; in 2017, he joined the group of shareholders. Under his leadership, Crossmedia most recently established its own hub for AI in marketing. In addition, he is a member of the advisory board of the Competence Center for AI at the Ruhr University Bochum (HUMAIN).

When Armin is not busying himself with the newest technological advances or driving media innovations, he finds his balance in road cycling. For Armin, “thinking for yourself” means constantly finding ways to make the impossible possible.

Tobias Schwarz

Director Brand Analytics
Düsseldorf

Tobias Schwarz knows from many years of experience that truth in advertising effectiveness research is only a relative concept and that there is never just one solution. After his studies in sociology, psychology and political science as well as an additional Master of Science Marketing in England, he spent several years on the agency side working on the analysis and presentation of marketing mix modeling studies for various national and international companies. As the Munich native wanted to think outside the box, he joined the Crossmedia Redbox team in 2016.

Since June 2018, Tobias has been heading the advertising impact research division at Crossmedia as Director Brand Analytics. There, he drives a more comprehensive approach from classic brand and ad tracking, to advertising media testing, target group analysis and marketing mix modeling.

For the passionate hobby cook, #XMVoice means “not just working through things to get them done, but questioning everything again and again.”

Dr. Ram Singh

Chief Performance Media Officer
Crossmedia New York

Dr. Ramendra (Ram) Singh serves as the Chief Performance Media Officer at Crossmedia, leading all performance media and performance analytics functions. He is an accomplished marketing and analytics leader, with extensive experience serving Fortune 500 brands across industries like BFSI, CPG, Retail, Education, Telecommunications, Technology, and Commerce. His work on cross-channel marketing and performance has received numerous awards and accolades, including the prestigious PMW “Performance Pioneer – 2022 Executive of the Year” award. Ram is a proud father of two, and when he’s not being an employee, a husband or a dad, he enjoys a round of golf, playing music, and painting landscapes. His understanding of #XMVoice’s credo “Think for yourself” is informed by Nobel laureate and renowned physicist, Richard Feynman, who said “I would rather have questions that can’t be answered than answers that can’t be questioned.”

Georg Tiemann

Former Partner
Düsseldorf

Georg can confidently be described as a wanderer between the worlds. He was already passionate about media and creation working hand in hand when both were still trying to avoid each other as much as possible. Georg is blessed with the typical “Rhineland happy soul” and attaches a great deal of importance to interdisciplinary cooperation. His courage to find new solutions has particularly benefited our Hamburg office which he set up in 2006 after having been with Crossmedia since the year 2000.  You will find him wherever new horizons need to be explored. After passionately building CROSSMEDIA’s B2B offering, Georg founded his own agency Tyytyväinen in 2022, a Crossmedia worknet partner the agency remains close with.

For Georg, #XMVoice means personal initiative and self-motivation. “Only when you truly apply yourself to a topic can you properly understand, change and shape it.”

Ray Valcich

Head of Marketing
New York

Ray joined Crossmedia way back in 2011, after cutting his teeth at GroupM in New York. Not long after, he moved his family west to Los Angeles and opened XMLA in the heart of Venice Beach. After successfully avoiding serious sunburn for three years, he headed back to New York to help lead key client accounts and contribute to the unprecedented growth of the agency in a new business role. A few years later, Ray headed south to be the General Manager of Crossmedia’s Philly office on the banks of the Schuylkill River, leading accounts, new business, talent and operations for the 50+ person office. As Covid left its unpleasant mark on day-to-day business operations, and life in general, Ray becAme the Head of New Business in the US, working primarily out of his basement in New Jersey. After a successful three year run of pitching, Ray now leads marketing in the US with a focus on making the agency (even more!) famous, while maintaining and leveraging the swagger and soul of our beloved Crossmedia.

Raffael Weber

Former Retail & Geo Intelligence Expert
Düsseldorf

Raffael Weber laid the foundation for his career in trade marketing in university when the passionate mountaineer and hobby adventurer completed his studies in geography and economics with a focus on trade research. Weber joined Crossmedia in 2009 and used his expertise in geo marketing to drive the agency’s development of an independent local and regional media planning approach, rising to the position of Unit Director in 2015. His endeavours culminated in the establishment of worknet partner Brandlocal in 2016, where he was initially responsible for geo intelligence product development as deputy managing director, before taking on overall responsibility in 2018 as managing director and partner. Joining Crossmedia again after a couple of years, he continued to develop digital commerce marketing at the independent media agency before sailing off to new shores in 2024.

For him, “think for yourself” means “not conforming, not swimming with the current, but being uncomfortable and questioning the obvious.”