Leadership

Bob Lord, CEO

Bob was appointed in April 2009 to the position of global CEO at Razorfish having served four years as president of the company's East region.

In his new role, he oversees the company's global operations and is leading the company's expansion into Latin America, among other parts of the world. With employees, clients and the marketplace, he is sharing his vision of a company that creates digital experiences to build businesses.

Bob has a passion for bringing big ideas and nimble thinking, and since joining Razorfish in 2000 Bob has helped Razorfish develop its business and gain several agency-of-record relationships. In 2004, Bob served as COO of Razorfish, prior to its merger with Avenue A.

Previously, Bob served as COO and executive vice president of Prism Rehab Systems, a professional services firm in the healthcare sector. Before Prism, he was a partner consultant with Symmetrix, a strategic systems re-engineering firm. He holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BS in Engineering from Syracuse University.

Clark Kokich, Chairman

Kokich oversees Razorfish's strategic direction, works directly with core accounts, represents Razorfish in the marketplace and develops thought leadership. He was appointed chairman in April 2009, a newly created position. For two years before that, Clark served as our CEO, leading our global expansion into the largest interactive services firm in the world. He was previously our worldwide president, a role he assumed in September 2005, prior to which he was president of our West region. He has also served as president of Avenue A, Seattle and Chicago; president of Digital Marketing Solutions, Seattle; SVP, Diversified Services; and VP + GM, Growth Markets Division. He’s been with us since 1999.

Before joining us, Clark was president and CEO of apparel retailer Calla Bay, head of sales and marketing for a division of McCaw Cellular Communications, and EVP + GM of Cole & Weber in Seattle. He is a member of the new digital board of the American Association of Advertising Agencies.

Sydney Hunsdale, Chief Operating Officer

Sydney Hunsdale, Chief Operating Officer, is responsible for the financial strategy and operations of all Razorfish offices. She joined us in February 2006 as senior vice president of Finance and Operations, bringing formidable experience to her role.

That experience includes many years with DDB in Seattle, where she was their chief operating officer, in addition to earlier positions as managing partner, EVP group account director, and EVP media director. Sydney has also worked in broadcast media for CBS affiliate KIRO Radio–Seattle, and in advertising for large regional retailer JAFCO, a division of Modern Merchandising. She sits on the national board for The Partnership for a Drug-Free America and on the advisory board for Ronald McDonald House Charities of Western Washington.

David Friedman, President of the Americas

David has spent the last 20 years helping companies develop stronger customer relationships through the use of digital technology. Named President of the Americas in May 2009, he is responsible for operations in North and South America. He previously served as president of our Central Region from 2004-2009 where he was responsible for operations in the region and oversaw its rapid growth. Prior to his role as central president, David managed a number of practice groups, including our Consumer Products and Retail practices. This followed his role as head of the Global Strategy Practice at legacy company Scient. He joined us in 1999.

David joined us from Accenture, where he served as associate partner working in Strategic Services. David is regarded as an industry thought leader, providing commentary on a wide range of interactive marketing topics and penning a monthly column for ChiefMarketer. He holds an MBA from the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business and a BA in Economics from Cornell.

Colin Kinsella, Chief Innovation Officer

Colin was named to the role of Chief Innovation Officer in May 2009.  With more than 20 years of experience in traditional and online advertising, he previously served as president of our West Region from 2007-2009, managing the growth and profitability of all operations the region. Colin also served as executive sponsor for a number of client relationships, including Visa, Ancestry.com and Williams-Sonoma. Prior to this role, he served as as general manager of both our California offices, a position he’d held since joining us in 2004.

Colin came to us from Quinstreet, an online marketing and technology company. He’d also served as EVP at Foote, Cone & Belding in San Francisco, as well as in other roles at their London and Chicago offices. Colin serves as the vice chair for the Northern California chapter of the American Association of Advertising Agencies (AAAA); chairman of the AAAA's western region interactive and new media committee; and advisor to the Board of Animated Speech. He holds an MBA from the University of Chicago and a BA in Pre-Med and History from the University of Dayton.

Darin Brown, President, Europe

Darin Brown was recently appointed as the president of Razorfish Europe. Darin will oversee acquisitions and continued development of pan-regional services as part of the growth strategy in Europe, where the organization operates under the names Duke, a Razorfish company (Paris/London), Neue Digitale Razorfish (Frankfurt/Berlin) and Razorfish (London).

Throughout his 10-year career at Razorfish, Darin has proven his ability to lead. As chief strategy officer for the company, he ensured our ideas remained the most innovative and competitive in the digital arena. Darin also managed the agency’s efforts in building integrated digital marketing capabilities and provided strategic and business development leadership for many of the agency’s Fortune 100 clients, including most recently Microsoft where he functioned as executive sponsor for the global account. He has held many operational roles within Razorfish, including president of the West Region, where he managed operations in Seattle, Portland, San Francisco and Los Angeles.

He joined us in 1998, as head of the Portland office, and went on to steer the business through five acquisitions. Darin began his career in 1990 with Leo Burnett Toronto (now part of Publicis Groupe), working with accounts such as Kraft General Foods, Seagrams, Procter and Gamble, and Bell Canada. In 1994, Darin founded the award-winning Leo Burnett Interactive Group within the Toronto office (now Arc Worldwide) and moved from the world of traditional advertising to digital marketing.

Lee Sherman, President, Asia Pacific

Lee assumes responsibility for Razorfish operations across the Asia-Pac Region in January of 2009.  In his role, Lee will build the Razorfish presence and capability within the region to serve the increasingly global needs of the Razorfish client base.

Between 2004 and 2008, Lee served as senior VP and general manager of Razorfish Global Solutions, a centralized unit providing services to clients within the US, Europe and Asia.  Global Solutions encompasses business intelligence, search engine optimization, site optimization and email solutions. Each of the four practice areas applies proprietary technology and analytics to enhance the performance of clients’ digital marketing efforts.  

From 2000 through 2003, Lee founded and built the agency’s analytics group, recognized by industry and clients as a core competency of Razorfish.  Lee later served as the national discipline lead for analytics.  

For five years prior to joining Razorfish, Lee held the position of managing consultant with Gemini Consulting, where he provided strategic marketing services to Fortune 100 firms within sectors such as financial services, telecommunications, life sciences, and chemicals.   Lee holds an MBA degree from the University of Michigan and a Juris Doctor from Seattle University.

Reo Watanabe, President and CEO, Japan

Reo has applied his 19 years of marketing and advertising experience to build what is now one of the largest digital marketing firms in Japan. He has been president and CEO of our Japanese affiliate – which operates under the name Dentsu Razorfish – since we entered into partnership with what was then known as Digital Palette in January 2007. Reo had served in that role since he founded Digital Palette in April 2001 as the interactive arm of Dentsu, the largest advertising agency in Japan.

Prior to founding Digital Palette, Reo worked in account management at Dentsu. While there, he led holistic marketing campaigns for multinational clients including Nestle, American Express and Softbank. He also serves on the Board of Directors of Cyber Communications, the largest Internet media representative in Japan. He holds an MBA in Marketing Management from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania and a BA in Economics from Hitotsubashi University.

Jeff Lanctot, Chief Strategy Officer

Jeff, our Chief Strategy Officer, brings a powerful reputation to his pursuit of customers for online media, with recognition and awards from Advertising Age, MEDIAWEEK, B2B Magazine and Media Magazine. He’s in charge of our worldwide media buying and planning, handling more than $735 million in spending and supporting clients such as Disney, Coors, Expedia, Nike, Best Buy and Weight Watchers. Jeff's also responsible for the publication of our annual Digital Outlook Report, which takes an in-depth at emerging trends and the overall state of the industry. He has also been VP + GM of our Northwest region, before which he ran media and client service in the West. He joined us in 1999.

Prior to this, Jeff was the VP and co-founder of Qualfund LLC. He began his career at Deloitte Consulting, working on behalf of Fortune 500 companies and government agencies.

Andreas Gahlert, CEO, Germany

Andreas founded his own agency working alone in his living room, and has since grown it to service worldwide brands and employ more than 100 people. He oversees of our presence in Germany, which operates under the name Neue Digitale Razorfish. He is responsible for consulting, client service and new business. Andreas sits on the board of the German Association of Communication Agencies, and founded its section for interactive marketing. He founded Neue Digitale in September 1996.

Prior to this, Andreas worked for Pixel Factory, managing multimedia production and design projects. Before that he was an industrial designer at Witte Design. In 2006 he was voted “German Web Personality of the Year.” He holds a degree in Engineering and Economics from the Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences.

Olaf Czeschner, Chief Creative Officer, Germany

Olaf is chief creative officer at Razorfish in Germany, which operates under the name Neue Digitale Razorfish. Olaf became a managing partner for Neue Digitale in 1999 after working for years as an independent designer in Germany, the U.S., and the Netherlands.

As the top creative leader at Neue Digitale Razorfish, Olaf has won more than 100 industry awards and has been a member of many juries, including Cannes International Advertising Festival, One Show Interactive, Cresta Grand Jury, ADC New York, New York Festivals Interactive, and ADC Germany. He has a degree in communications design.

Royce Lee, Managing Director, Greater China

Royce brings data and scientific rigor into the world of marketing. He is joint managing director of our presence in China and Hong Kong, which operates under the name e-Crusade. Royce spearheads the digital strategy for clients such as PCCW, Coca-Cola, HSBC and Hong Kong Tourism Board. He brings experience in brand management, strategic consulting and research, and co-founded e-Crusade in 1999.

Prior to co-founding e-Crusade, Royce worked at Coca-Cola China Ltd, where he served as marketing manager for the Hong Kong and Taiwan markets. Before that he worked in marketing for Nestle China Ltd, handling product management for the pet care and breakfast cereal divisions. He holds both an M.Phil in Psychology and a BS in Chemistry from the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

Venus Lee, Managing Director, Greater China

Venus is a 10-year veteran of building brand awareness in the online arena, creating consumer experiences through the integration of strategy and technology. She is joint managing director of our presence in China and Hong Kong, which operates under the name e-Crusade. Venus oversees the operations of the agency and crafts online branding strategies for clients such as Nike, Coca-Cola, HSBC and L'Oreal. She recently helped to establish the first e-Crusade office in Shanghai, and co-founded the agency in 1999.

Prior to co-founding e-Crusade, Venus worked at Nestle Hong Kong in brand management out of Beijing. She lectures at the Chinese University of Hong Kong and Hong Kong Baptist University. She holds an MBA and a BBA from the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

Keith Metzger, SVP, Global M&A

As senior vice president, Global M&A since 2004, Keith has supervised both mergers and acquisitions activity outside the U.S. as well as general management of all international operations, balancing an understanding of local markets with the potential of our global reach. Before this, he was VP of client services, having joined us in 2003.

Keith previously served as president of a digital services division of The Interpublic Group in New York. He joined Interpublic with a background in the consumer software field, where he developed a successful line of software published by Time Warner and Pearson. He also founded a digital services agency that worked with such clients as IBM, Apple, HP and Motorola.

William Flaiz, General Manager of Global Solutions

William Flaiz is the general manager of Razorfish global solutions, a centralized unit providing services to clients within the US, Europe and Asia.  Global Solutions encompasses business intelligence, search engine optimization, site optimization and email solutions. Each of the four practice areas applies proprietary technology and analytics to enhance the performance of clients’ digital marketing efforts.

William joined the Philadelphia office Razorfish in 2002 to establish the web development practice there and, within six months, he led the development of an award-winning healthcare portal.  During this time, he managed the creative, technology, delivery management, user experience, and customer insights groups, growing the revenue and staff dedicated to web development projects, which accounts for approximately two-thirds of the office’s revenues today.  More recently, William served as vice president of search engine optimization and web analytics, defining the needs and providing solutions that help clients measure and optimize their web site investments.