Jay Ku Named Senior Vice President, Advertising and Brand Solutions
Ruben Baerga Named General Manager, Society6
SANTA MONICA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Leaf Group Ltd. (NYSE: LFGR), a diversified Internet company comprised
of several marketplace and media properties, today announced two
additions to its senior team: Jay Ku and Ruben Baerga. Ku will lead Leaf
Group’s internal sales and advertising team as Senior Vice President,
Advertising and Brand Solutions, while Baerga will take on the role of
General Manager for the company’s print-on-demand marketplace brand,
Society6.
“Leaf Group continues to build positive momentum across all of our
properties, and the energy and drive of Jay Ku and Ruben Baerga will
continue to propel our brands forward,” said Sean Moriarty, CEO of Leaf
Group. “Jay and Ruben share our corporate philosophy and have proven
track records of success, and we are thrilled to have them joining our
team.”
Jay Ku has more than 10 years of experience building strategic brand
partnerships with a focus on driving revenue and social action. He most
recently served as Senior Vice President of Partnerships at Participant
Media, where he focused on developing campaigns and brand alliances
across all of the company’s properties – film, television and digital.
Prior to joining Participant, Ku was co-founder and Head of Corporate
Partnerships at GOOD, working closely with brands, including IBM,
Starbucks, Toyota, GE, and H&M. During his tenure with GOOD, Ku helped
spearhead programs such as the Pepsi Refresh Project, Starbucks’ Create
Jobs for USA and IBM’s Smarter Planet. He earned his bachelor’s degree
in Government from Harvard University and was a professional cyclist,
racing for the US National Team. In his new role as Senior Vice
President, Advertising and Brand Solutions, Ku will lead Leaf Group’s
sales and in-house advertising teams and will report to Brian Pike, Leaf
Group’s Chief Operating Officer and Chief Technology Officer.
Over his 20-year career working with some of the world’s most
recognizable retail brands, Ruben Baerga has proven an ability to
maximize operating performance and drive growth. Previously, Baerga has
served as Vice President, Customer Experience and Site Merchandising for
Walmart.com, Senior Advisor for Alvarez & Marsal (A&M) specializing in
Corporate Performance Improvement, Chief Operating Officer for Swirl By
Daily Candy and Senior Vice President for Comcast Interactive Media,
Vice President of Sporting Goods and Client Services for eBay Enterprise
and Senior Director of Emerging Business with Toys R Us, where he
managed the Toys R Us e-commerce relationship with Amazon. While at A&M,
Baerga also served on two Center of Excellence teams for Target,
designing capabilities and structure for the retailer’s supply chain and
developing and implementing its digital strategy operating models. He
most recently served as General Manager of BulbHead.com, an
ecommerce site that features products that offer smart solutions for
everyday problems. Baerga graduated from the US Naval Academy with a
degree in mathematics/computer science. As General Manager of Society6,
Baerga will lead all day-to-day operations for the print-on-demand
ecommerce marketplace, reporting into Dion Camp Sanders, Leaf Group’s
Executive Vice President, Marketplaces.
About Leaf Group
Leaf Group Ltd. (NYSE:LFGR) is a diversified Internet company that
builds platforms across its marketplaces (Society6, Saatchi Art, Deny
Designs and The Other Art Fair) and various media properties (including
Livestrong.com, eHow and Cuteness) to enable communities of creators to
reach passionate audiences in large and growing lifestyle categories. In
addition, Leaf Group’s diverse advertising offerings help brands and
publishers find innovative ways to engage with their customers. For more
information about Leaf Group, visit www.leafgroup.com.
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Source: Leaf Group Ltd.