Eric Gomels
Integrated Media Leader · Group Director · $350M+ Investment Portfolio
Summary
I am an integrated media leader and growth generator with a track record of owning over $350M in annual investment for the world’s most recognizable Fortune 500 brands, including Mars, Colgate, L’Oréal, and General Mills. My expertise lies at the intersection of cross-functional leadership and technical media innovation. I don't just manage budgets; I architect enterprise-wide workstreams that solve for the cookie-less future, Supply Path Optimization (SPO), and AI-driven biddable strategies. Throughout my career at WPP, Wavemaker, and Mindshare, I have transformed fragmented media inputs into actionable business decisions, consistently driving incremental portfolio growth—most recently delivering +$30M YoY. I specialize in connecting media investment, activation, and analytics into a single, high-performance operating model. Whether it is leading a 60-person team to scale programmatic and search capabilities or negotiating directly with supply partners and OEMs to secure premium access, my focus is on where consumer attention is actually shifting. I am deeply hands-on with the modern tech stack, from TTD and DV360 to agentic AI models like Claude and Gemini, ensuring that brand messaging is amplified with precision and compliance. Hire me if you need a strategic partner who can navigate highly regulated environments while scaling multi-channel campaigns that deliver measurable P&L impact.
"I lead large cross functional teams to drive media growth for F500 brands. "
Expertise
Case study
Incremental value derived from AI efficiency & negotiations
I drove $5M+ in value through implementation of AI optimization across biddable channels and negotiated directly with platforms, supply partners, MVPDs & OEMs to secure pricing, access, and scale - driving an additional +$30M in portfolio growth YoY.
Experience
Group Director, Investment Practice Lead
April 2023 – April 2026
WPP Media · New York, NY
Led a team of 60 integrated media specialists across direct, video, programmatic, and search for Mars and Colgate.
- Owned P&L for $350M+ in annual media investment.
- Architected enterprise-wide workstreams for identity/cookie-less future and AI custom biddable strategies.
- Negotiated directly with platforms and supply partners to drive +$30M incremental portfolio growth YoY.
- Integrated media investment and analytics into a single operating model.
Group Director, PBU
October 2021 – April 2023
Wavemaker · New York, NY
Managed L’Oréal portfolio, building talent for brand and retail PBU teams including TTD, DV360, and Amazon DSP.
- Established cross-channel governance frameworks for standardized activation and reporting.
- Built forward-looking testing roadmaps tied to platform and identity shifts.
- Implemented best practices for new traders across the agency.
Partner Director, PBU
June 2018 – October 2021
Mindshare · New York, NY
Led trading teams across Banking, Tech, Hospitality, Auto, and CPG clients.
- Delivered $65M+ in channel revenue.
- Introduced structured planning cadences to bring consistency to campaign scaling.
- Applied regulated-industry media frameworks for financial and CPG compliance.
Director, Precision
November 2015 – June 2018
Zenith · New York, NY
Led the Precision trading team across Auto, Insurance, Retail, Pharma, and Travel clients.
- Managed $40M+ in revenue while driving performance outcomes.
- Scaled agency teams by shaping hiring, training, and retention strategies.
- Translated complex messaging constraints into effective strategies for highly regulated brands.
Education
- LIU Post · Bachelors of Science, Computer Graphics Interface (CGI) · 2004
What I'm looking for
notes: Seeking senior leadership roles focused on media transformation, AI operationalization, and large-scale investment governance. work mode: Hybrid / NYC industries: AdTech, Fintech, CPG, Agency Leadership role types: Head of Media, VP of Integrated Investment, Group Media Director, Head of Programmatic
Ideal next role
SVP agency or client side, Media partnerships lead
Logistics
- Work authorization
- US citizen
- Earliest start
- 1-2 weeks
- Languages
- English