Observed Signal · Apr 24, 2026 · Hiring · Source: https://martechseries.com/feed/ · Impact: 2/5 · Sentiment: Positive
BNO Names Rachelle Powell President, Expands Executive Team
Baldwin & Obenauf, Inc. (BNO), a full-service creative and brand experience agency, announced an evolution of its leadership team on April 24, 2026. Rachelle Powell was named President and will lead the agency’s strategic direction, client partnerships, and the advancement of capabilities including AI-driven solutions. Trista Walker will depart the agency following a period of growth under her leadership. BNO also elevated Ryan Obenauf to Executive Vice President, Human Resources & Finance; Abey Abraham to Executive Vice President, Operations; and George Jackus to Executive Vice President, Creative. The release highlights BNO’s proprietary offerings such as the ACXelerate™ design thinking process and Alpha Signal tool and notes the agency’s focus on clients in regulated sectors including healthcare, financial services, telecommunications and technology.
Company-level leadership changes signal strategic focus and investment (notably in AI capabilities) at a creative agency, which matters to clients and partners but is not industry-shifting.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- Rachelle Powell named President of Baldwin & Obenauf, Inc. (BNO).
- Trista Walker will depart BNO following a period of growth and transformation.
- Ryan Obenauf named Executive Vice President, Human Resources & Finance; Abey Abraham named Executive Vice President, Operations; George Jackus named Executive Vice President, Creative.
- BNO promotes AI-driven capabilities and cites proprietary offerings ACXelerate™ and Alpha Signal.
- Announcement published April 24, 2026 via GlobeNewswire on MarTech Series.
Connected Companies & Entities
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Related Market Signals & Shifts
Recent verified developments and strategic activity across this market segment.
OpenX Boosts Leadership to Enhance Programmatic Advertising
OpenX Technologies, Inc. announced a strategic leadership expansion on October 23, 2025, adding five senior executives across product, marketing, communications, and operations to accelerate development of OpenXSelect, the company’s next-generation curation and supply-side targeting platform. Joining OpenX are Sethu Balasubramanian (VP of Product), Nick Van Amburg (VP of Product Marketing), Tiffany Tai (VP of Communications), Nate Fishler (VP of Global Solutions & Technical Operations), and Emily Kramer (Head of Agency Curation & Commerce Media). CEO John Gentry stated that AI will help simplify previously complex programmatic workflows while preserving high quality, performance, and responsibility. The appointments bring deep experience from across TiVo, Undertone (Perion), Xandr/Microsoft, Condé Nast, The New York Times, Dotdash Meredith, Hulu, Activision Blizzard, Integral Ad Science, Index Exchange, TikTok, Kargo, Target Roundel, CVS, Macy’s, The Home Depot, and Merkle, reinforcing OpenX’s growth strategy.
Manifest Appoints Betsy Ross to Drive Client Integration
Chicago-based agency Manifest hired Betsy Ross, a longtime BarkleyOKRP executive and Chicago agency veteran, as chief client officer to unify client leadership after its 2025 merger with Aisle Rocket. Ross will oversee Manifest’s client organization across offices in Chicago, New York, Washington D.C., Boston, and Phoenix. The merger combined Manifest’s content strategy with Aisle Rocket’s creative technology and ecommerce capabilities to form a roughly 200-person independent agency. Manifest frames the hire as a step in integration: creating a consistent client experience and shifting toward custom, results-focused work amid industry trends toward productized, fixed-price offerings. Manifest reported new business wins in pharmaceutical, travel, and hospitality categories and said leadership is exploring further acquisitions. Melissa Bouma, Manifest partner and chief growth officer, will measure Ross’s impact on client satisfaction, retention, and growth.
Nexxen Appoints Chance Johnson President
Nexxen, an advertising technology company, announced executive promotions to support its next growth phase: Chance Johnson has been named President, Kara Puccinelli appointed Chief Commercial Officer, and Kenneth Suh named Chief Business Officer. Johnson, formerly Chief Commercial Officer, will focus on strengthening client and partner relationships and will be based in New York working closely with CEO Ofer Druker. Puccinelli, formerly Chief Customer Officer, will lead the Enterprise business unit that includes Nexxen’s omnichannel DSP, audience insight solution (Discovery) and TV Intelligence. Suh will continue to lead the company’s exchange and media business with emphasis on high-opportunity areas such as Connected TV and mobile in-app. The company positions itself as a unified, AI-driven advertising platform built on proprietary data and exclusive media.
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