Oath Names Kathryn Friedrich Head of RYOT Studio and Karen Schmidt Head of B2B Field Marketing
January 29, 2018
NEW YORK -- Oath, a subsidiary of Verizon (NYSE, Nasdaq: VZ) today announced two significant appointments to expand its global sales organization. Kathryn Friedrich will join the company as Chief Business Officer, RYOT Studio and Karen Schmidt has been appointed Vice President, Head of B2B Field Marketing. These critical new hires will strengthen Oath's global expansion of RYOT Studio as one of the world's leading creative studios for brands and agencies, while continuing to fuel the company's global marketing efforts and mobile growth. They will report directly to John DeVine, Chief Revenue Officer.
"We're thrilled to welcome Kathryn and Karen to Oath as we bring together the best mobile experiences, trusted data that performs, and market-leading ad tech to serve our advertiser and publisher partners," said John DeVine, Chief Revenue Officer, Oath. "We have aggressive goals for growth in 2018 and beyond, which Kathryn and Karen will help us realize."
As Chief Business Officer of RYOT Studio, Kathryn Friedrich brings more than 20 years of digital advertising and media sales experience to this new role. She will be responsible for leading the global growth of RYOT Studio, which currently has a presence in 14 countries across five continents. Previously, she was the Chief Marketing and Revenue Officer at Thrive Global, working with Arianna Huffington to build a well-being company that changed the way people work and live. Prior to that, Kathryn was the Head of Global Content Monetization at YouTube, and has held roles at Google, Hearst, Conde Nast, American Express Publishing, and KPMG.
"I am excited to join Oath to continue building on its creative storytelling and distribution capabilities for advertisers," said Friedrich. "With Oath's focus on mobile and content marketing, I look forward to partnering with the team to deliver more value to our advertisers and the best experiences for consumers."
Karen Schmidt will take on the role of Vice President, Head of B2B Field Marketing to develop, lead, and drive Oath's go-to-market strategy for its advertising products. She will play a critical role increasing brand awareness and customer experience, developing key business partnerships, and expanding product offerings to support Oath's mission. Karen joins Oath from American Express, where she held leadership positions for nearly ten years, most recently as Vice President, Global Head of Sales Enablement for the Global Commercial Services division. Karen began her career as a Consultant at Booz Allen Hamilton.
"Oath has quickly established itself as a powerful force in the digital advertising space, and I'm thrilled to be part of shaping the next chapter of our story," said Schmidt. "I look forward to collaborating closely with our advertiser and publisher partners globally to ensure we're exceeding their expectations."
About Oath
Oath, a subsidiary of Verizon, is a values-led company committed to building brands people love. We reach one billion people around the world with a dynamic house of media and technology brands. A global leader in digital and mobile, Oath is shaping the future of media. For more on Oath, visit www.oath.com.