Leading UK independent retail media operator, SMG, has appointed Uche Ofili as Director of Agency Partnerships. With more than 18 years’ experience in the digital marketing and media industry, Ofili joins from dunnhumby where he was Head of Media Agency, responsible for building the agency team behind Tesco Media and Insight Platform’s retail media offering.
At SMG, Ofili will be head of agency relationships, leading the Agency Development team who will play a key role in building deeper partnerships with leading media agencies. This marks an exciting step forward in bridging the gap between commerce advertising and brand strategy, enabling the seamless integration of commerce advertising into media plans so agencies can better leverage powerful retail data on behalf of their clients.
SMG runs the Retail Media Networks for Boots, Morrisons, Co-op, Asda and The Very Group as well as managing national retail media campaigns for brands including Pladis, Birds Eye and General Mills through their buy-side agency Capture.
SMG’s proprietary technology platform Plan-Apps has become the most used operating system for commerce and retail media optimisation in the UK powering brand campaigns for 95 of the top 100 CPG brands in the UK.
Over the past five years, SMG has experienced extensive growth, now trading nearly £2mn of retail media daily. Uche’s appointment plays a significant role in the future ambitions of the company as it continues to grow both in the UK and in the US.
Sam Knights, CEO of SMG, says: “We’re excited to welcome Uche to the team and the valuable experience he will bring as we look to build our Agency Development team. Uche is an incredible professional and a wonderful cultural fit. We have some exciting plans already in motion for 2025 and Uche will play a key role as we look to onboard new retail partners and grow our retail media networks.”
Speaking about his appointment, Ofili adds: “I am excited to step into the role of Director of Agency Partnerships at SMG, where building strong, collaborative relationships with our agency partners is central to driving success. In today’s rapidly evolving retail media landscape, the ability to align strategies and innovate together has never been more critical. I look forward to working closely with our partners to deliver impactful solutions that meet the needs of brands, agencies, and consumers alike.”
