Dallas, TX – August 27, 2015 – Freeman, the leading global provider of brand experiences, announced the promotion of Richard Maranville to executive vice president and chief digital officer. Freeman has made this important move in support of its ongoing strategy to harness big data and digital technology to bring new products, services, and insights to the expanding brand experience market.
As the integration of digital and live experiences continues to evolve, Freeman is committed to remaining in the forefront, utilizing its unmatched global platform to deliver customized brand experiences to an expanding set of customers.
“We are seeing an increased demand for integrated digital solutions in the brand experience channel,” said Joe Popolo, Freeman’s chief executive officer. “Whether through strategic partnerships, direct investment or joint ventures, we continue to make significant investments in our digital portfolio. I’m thrilled that Richard has agreed to lead our efforts in this area.”
“Freeman has been on the forefront of innovation for over 87 years. This new role will allow us to provide focused leadership to drive our digital strategy,” said Bob Priest-Heck, Freeman’s president and chief operating officer. “We are seeing an acceleration of the need for data and digital solutions in our space. Our clients are looking to Freeman to help harness this opportunity to create value for their programs.”
“The rate of change in the digital market is extraordinary and this new role will allow Freeman to be more nimble than ever,” said Richard Maranville. “Our suite of digital services is significant and we only see this growing in the future. We will continue to help our clients leverage technology solutions to better understand their audience, evolve their experiences and deliver rich and useful data and insights.”
Maranville joined Freeman in 2009 as chief information officer, having come from FedEx Kinko’s, where as CIO, he led and implemented industry leading B2B/B2C e-commerce solutions and award-winning in-store self-serve payment systems.
Michelle Johnson promoted to chief information officer
Michelle Johnson has been promoted to CIO of Freeman, a move that is a natural evolution of her responsibilities as CIO of Freeman’s Audio Visual division where a number of the company’s technology offerings reside. Johnson joined Freeman in 2009 having previously worked at FedEx Kinko’s and Deloitte Consulting in various information technology leadership capacities. Johnson will work closely with Maranville to coordinate all of Freeman’s digital initiatives across the enterprise, connecting its products, services and solutions in powerful ways to serve the growing demands of the company’s global client base.
About Freeman
Recognized by Advertising Age as the world’s largest brand experience company, Freeman uses the power of integrated digital and live brand experiences to move markets, connect people, support growth and generate revenues for the world’s leading organizations. Freeman generates insights that define program strategies, target audiences, and deliver messages that generate meaningful results. Through its expansive network of offices, talent and global partnerships, Freeman has the reach and access that is unmatched in the industry. A family- and employee-owned company, Freeman is known for its stability, strength, and customer service achievements over its 87-year history. A values-driven company with a strong and purpose-built culture, Freeman is dedicated to connecting people in meaningful ways. This is accomplished through a process of continuous innovation and improvement. Freeman produces more than 4,300 expositions annually and 11,000 other events worldwide. Freeman has been awarded six consecutive J. D. Power awards for its Customer Call Center. For more information, visit www.freeman.com
