VMLY&R Commerce Grows Global and Regional Digital Commerce Offer with Specialist Hires

VMLY&R Commerce is experiencing dynamic expansion with the addition of global and regional digital commerce hires. This expansion serves to respond to demand from clients for top-tier data driven ecommerce and performance services, talent and technology, in support of business sales growth and brand building through Commerce.  

VMLY&R Commerce is taking inspiration and liberty around the language of Commerce as a Service (CaaS) to strategically package its bespoke Digital Commerce offers and end-to-end managed-services across DTC, Retail Media, Amazon & Marketplaces, Digital-shelf, Content and Commerce Advisory. With deep specialist talent and innovative tool sets, the capability is fully focused on driving digital availability for brands. 

Regional appointments serve to scale and codify the agency’s specialist expertise across local market, and include: Toseef Butt as regional commerce director and head of CaaS for MENA region; Roger Timmer as regional commerce director and head of CaaS responsible from DACH region; and Wayne Blum, executive director digital commerce joining from Diageo to support accelerated growth in North America with a focus on Colgate-Palmolive’s portfolio of brands. 

As part of the global team, and elevated to join the six practice leads, Leanne Bird is promoted to the newly created role of global program partnerships lead. 

Gemma Spence, global vice president, Commerce Transformation, and architect of Commerce as a Service commented on these appointments: "In today's fast-paced digital world, navigating the complexities of commerce can be daunting for clients. With channels increasingly addressable and auction led, driving digital availability becomes critical to brand growth. We’ve assembled a team of digital commerce and performance experts, both globally and locally embedded, that have created market leading data driven solutions that take an innovative approach to synchronising client’s activities across the digital ecosystem. I’m thrilled to welcome these new hires as we scale our commerce services and technology globally, and simplify the digital commerce experience for our brands.”

The below leaders join a slew of recent hires with deep digital commerce specialism. 

Toseef Butt

Regional commerce director and head Of CaaS, MENA

In this newly appointed role, Toseef Butt joins as regional commerce director, head of CaaS, MENA, is responsible for growing brands digital commerce sales across all channels. Toseef is a seasoned Digital Commerce and Retail Media specialist, boasting a remarkable 14-year track record in both the UK and Dubai. Renowned for his talent in pioneering data-led, consumer-centric strategies, he has a depth of knowledge across the regions Retail Media providers, and relentless focus on the delivery of precision, efficacy of measurement and optimization to grow client’s businesses.

Over the years Toseef has solved complex client challenges and led teams across, retail media, digital performance, data, analytics and technology. Among his recent accolades, Toseef architected the successful local D2C performance media launch for renowned brands like H&M, Mothercare, Victoria's Secret, and Huawei. 

Roger Timmer

Regional commerce director, head of CaaS, DACH Region

As head of CaaS at Scholz & Friends Commerce (a part of VMLY&R), Roger brings his passion for business development and high performance business operations to this newly created positon. He works with clients, leveraging VMLY&R Commerce’s intelligent tools to design strategies that fuel sustainable growth. His expertise in connnecting performance-driven capability, creative and media, offers full end-to-end delivery for clients.   

Before joining the team, Roger's career began at BP and progressed through roles at Ogilvy, ABUS, OPPO and Carat. Roger's many achievements include digitising the commercial and commerce operations at ABUS by connecting corporate IT systems such as ERP, EDI services, PIM, DAM, e-commerce back-end systems with AI-powered MarTech systems into a digital ecosystem. At OPPO’s he led Western European e-commerce and marketing as the head of digital marketing.

Wayne Blum

Executive director, Digital Commerce 

In this newly appointed role, Wayne Blum joins as executive director, digital commerce in North America supporting Colgate-Palmolive businesses’ Hills and Colgate across the US. Based in New York, Wayne joins VMLY&R Commerce from Diageo and boasts 20 years of experience developing digital consumer strategies and designing better ways to engage and sell to consumers online. He has experience from Nestle, American Express and has been building integrated commercial and marketing strategies that have grown sales. Renowned for his commercial acumen and consumer-centric strategies, he has a depth of knowledge across the US.

Leanne Bird 

Global program & partnerships director 

Leanne brings 15 years experience on the tech and agency side in delivering operational excellence across a wide range of clients to create integrated functional effectiveness and orchestrate business development through a team of agency and partner experts. Leanne is highly commercial and operationally focused, evidenced in the exceptional value she has added in the set-up and structuring of the ’Commerce as a Service’ global team.  In this new role, Leanne will act as the bridge between VMLY&R Commerce and key agency partners like Amazon, Stripe, Google, Meta to develop drive training, accreditation across the agency’s talent, and to continue the co-creation of class leading and value adding innovations with key WPP partners. She will be based in Sea Containers in London.