Former Valassis Leader Named Catalina CEO

Catalina has named Wayne Powers as its new president and CEO, effective immediately.

Powers succeeds Jerry Sokol Jr., who will serve as a strategic advisor to Catalina to support a seamless leadership transition.

Powers most recently served as president of media delivery provider Valassis. He has: 

• nearly three decades of experience in media, marketing and global operations 
• deep knowledge of the marketing and ad-tech ecosystem 
• a proven track record of successfully implementing operational improvement programs and delivering financial results

Over the last year, Catalina has forged strategic partnerships with the likes of Samba TV and LiveRamp to further fortify the company's shopper intelligence. Catalina is powering new ways to help CPG retailers, brands and agencies more precisely target, activate and measure consumer behavior across media channels in near-real time. 

“I am excited to lead Catalina forward, particularly given the company’s recent progress driving digital innovation in an incredibly competitive, fast-paced environment,” Powers said in a media release. “I was drawn to Catalina by its talented team and highly personalized marketing solutions that help retailers and brands maximize their engagement with target consumers. We will continue Catalina’s global focus on transformation through innovation to launch differentiated cross-channel products that meet customers' evolving needs.”

The Catalina Board of Directors is thrilled that Powers is joining the company to build on the momentum Sokol and the team have established, said Gene Davis, Catalina board chairman. 

“Under (Sokol’s guidance), Catalina has strengthened its leadership team, completed a comprehensive financial restructuring that significantly enhanced the company's financial profile by reducing debt by 85%, and accelerated investments in areas critical to the digital marketing ecosystem, including advanced analytics, personalization and measurement,” Davis said in the release. “These innovations are already powering new digital products and solutions for customers, and we are confident (Powers) and team will accelerate Catalina's growth.”

Sokol said he is immensely proud of what Catalina’s global team members have accomplished in a relatively short period of time. “Today, Catalina is a more meaningful strategic partner to our customers in the U.S., Europe and Japan, and I am confident that (Powers) is the right leader to continue advancing the company's breakthrough data-driven marketing solutions. It will be exciting to support (him) and the team in an advisory capacity as they lead Catalina's next phase of innovation and growth.”