Execs & Accounts for May 11, 2005

Freestyle Interactive founder Karim Sanjabi will return to the helm after a two-year stint at sister agency Carat Interactive. Sanjabi led Carat’s innovation practice, which focused on emerging channels. In his new/old role, in which he holds the title of president, he reports directly to Sarah Faye, Isobar’s U.S. president.

Eyeblaster hired Linda Centkowski as director of sales, Eastern region, and Marc Hernandez as director of sales, Western region. Robin Nelson, Eyeblaster’s business development manager, was promoted to director of sales, Central region.

Centkowski was VP of account development at Jupiter Media Metrix and director of national sales at Digital City. Hernandez founded and served as managing partner of Crescendo Entertainment Group. Eyeblaster said the appointments were part of its strategy to provide more senior oversight of all accounts.

360i hired Laura Mete Frizzell to direct and build its media services practice. She founded the online media department for Deutsch. Prior to that, she was with Boston-based Media Contacts as a managing principal.

R/GA is expanding its New York presence to include two floors on West 39th Street. The location, across the street from agency headquarters, will house up to 70 staffers.

In the past year, R/GA has grown its staff by 30 percent. Two new execs have joined: ECD Kip Voytek and Ken O’Donnell, director of integrated contact planning. O’Donnell was director of interactive at EuroRSCG. Voytek is a returning R/GA staffer. He previously worked oversaw development of an interaction design group at Digitas.

Yahoo Search Marketing has elevated Carat Interactive and Mediaedge:cia’s Outrider to the Strategic Provider level of its Ambassador reseller program. The program is designed to help agencies, search engine marketers and others to sell paid search placements and contextual ads on Yahoo. Strategic Provider is the highest level of the Ambassador program. Avenue A/Razorfish and Performics are already Strategic Providers.