Merkle (www.merkle.com), a leading technology-enabled, data-driven performance marketing agency, announced the appointment of Ted Stites to senior vice president, digital channel optimization. In this role, Stites will be responsible for the continued expansion of Merkle’s digital channel optimization business including site analytics and personalization, web development, and content management.

“Merkle’s rapid growth and leading position in the market set it apart from its competitors. The people at Merkle are deeply experienced, and passionate about driving high value digital marketing initiatives for their clients, and I am excited to be a part of the team. When you have this kind of talent and resources, we can provide a game-changing impact for our clients,” said Stites.

Stites has nearly 20 years of industry expertise in marketing analytics, optimization, and automation working with Fortune 1000 companies. He joined Merkle from Siteworx, a leading Adobe Experience Management company, where he created their first ever digital strategy and analytics business. As vice president, strategy and insights, Stites was responsible for driving a wide range of offerings including digital strategy, digital analytics, and testing and automation. Prior to joining Siteworx, he was president of Numeric Analytics, a company he co-founded and led which specialized in digital analytics, optimization, and campaign management. Stites is broadly connected in the digital marketing space and has been a member of the Adobe Partner Advisory Board for many years.

“Ted’s leadership and impressive expertise make him a great fit for Merkle’s culture and to drive our evolving solutions in digital channel optimization,” said Zhengda “Z” Shen, EVP, Merkle. “In this role, Ted will bring together numerous point solutions and capabilities including site analytics and testing, decision optimization, CMS, and site development into a broader digital channel optimization solution.”