Observed Signal · Mar 26, 2026 · Hiring · Source: Adweek · Impact: 2/5 · Sentiment: Neutral
Horizon Media COO Aims to End Billable Hours
Horizon Media has hired agency veteran Bhavana Smith as chief operating officer of Horizon Media Holdings with a mandate to move the independent agency away from traditional billable hours toward performance-based contracts. The shift, driven in part by pressure from AI on agency economics, is in early stages. To support the transformation, Horizon promoted three senior leaders: Katie Comerford to president of Horizon Commerce and client transformation; Katy Ferguson to president of Horizon Media East; and Cherie Hankin Calingasan to president of Horizon Next. The changes signal a strategic push to align compensation with business results rather than staffing and time-based billing.
Agency-level leadership hire and organizational promotions indicate a strategic experiment to shift billing models toward performance-based contracts, which could influence agency commercial models but is not industry-shifting.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- Horizon Media appointed Bhavana Smith as chief operating officer of Horizon Media Holdings.
- Smith's mandate is to transition the agency away from billable hours toward performance-based compensation tied to business results.
- Katie Comerford was promoted to president of Horizon Commerce and client transformation.
- Katy Ferguson was promoted to president of Horizon Media East.
- Cherie Hankin Calingasan was promoted to president of Horizon Next.
Connected Companies & Entities
1 Entity mappedRelated Market Signals & Shifts
Recent verified developments and strategic activity across this market segment.
Horizon Media Cuts Jobs in AI-Driven Restructuring Effort
Horizon Media, one of the largest independent ad agencies, cut 50 roles this week as part of a broader company realignment focused on skills optimization and scaling technology and AI capabilities. CEO Bill Koenigsberg said the changes are intended to concentrate talent where it delivers the most client value; the cuts affected various departments and included some employees with more than ten years at the company. Horizon said it is simultaneously hiring for more than 100 roles and investing in data, technology, AI, product innovation and integrated capabilities. In December the agency launched HorizonOS, a central hub integrating AI and data analytics powered by Blu, the agency’s proprietary AI system. Leadership plans to share more details at an April town hall.
Agency 'Black Box' Is Breaking, Says Horizon's Bob Lord
Bob Lord, president of Horizon Media and former CEO of Razorfish who led digital transformation at IBM, argues that many agencies are focused narrowly on cost-cutting with AI rather than using AI to drive advertiser growth. Lord says supply-chain opacity, siloed tech stacks and hidden programmatic costs persist, and that transparency, open-source approaches and performance-based compensation models can help agencies become true growth partners. At Horizon, Lord says the agency is shifting toward payment tied to client business outcomes and is pushing for transparent contracts that pass publisher discounts to clients. He calls for systems that let clients self-serve campaign insights and for tighter integration of creative and media to deliver measurable business impact.
Horizon Media Builds 'Horizon OS' Orchestration Platform
Horizon Media is building an "orchestration and intelligence" platform called Horizon OS (Open Sphere) that sits above existing ad tech to unify programmatic partners into a single command center. The agency has sent RFIs to more than 200 potential partners and is moving a pilot cohort into a green-lit integration phase. The system aims to route campaigns across DSPs, SSPs, verification vendors, data and measurement partners in real time based on live performance signals. Horizon plans to monetize the platform by charging for demonstrated decision-making value (proprietary data, bidding logic, measurable lift) while passing platform and data fees through at cost. Agency leaders say the approach emphasizes transparency and automation, but industry observers warn the model must prove independent measurement and fee accountability to avoid repeating past trading-desk issues.
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