Newly established COO role and elevated leadership cohort signal shift from Media Agency to Growth Partner
New York, New York, United States, March 2026 – Horizon Media Holdings announced the appointment of Bhavana Smith as Chief Operating Officer. In this newly established role, Smith will lead the agency’s operational transformation as it evolves from a media agency to a growth partner. The appointment of Smith, an industry veteran with experience at Accenture, Publicis Groupe, and Mediacom, reflects a broader strategic shift in how the agency defines, measures, and delivers value, emphasizing performance, transparency, and client-aligned outcomes.
Horizon is advancing a performance-driven operating model powered by AI, built on radical transparency, an open ecosystem of partners, and performance-based compensation tied directly to client outcomes. By moving beyond traditional full-time equivalent billing and aligning more closely with CMOs’ priorities, Horizon Media Holdings aims to deliver greater agility, stronger collaboration, and accelerated business growth.
“The traditional agency model was built for agency revenue, not client outcomes,” said Bob Lord, president of Horizon Media Holdings and CEO, Horizon Global. “That distinction is no longer sustainable. While many are applying new technologies to optimize legacy systems, we are taking a fundamentally different approach. We are replacing them, rebuilding our operating model from first principles, and aligning incentives to business performance. Bhavana brings a rare ability to build bridges across the agency and industry, and alongside this leadership cohort, ensures we move with speed and conviction.”
Smith will lead enterprise-wide efforts to strengthen operational performance and align capabilities across media, commerce, creative, influencer, and technology. Her focus will center on three priorities: advancing operational rigor and performance management, evolving workforce and resource deployment, and leading workflow transformation as Horizon embeds intelligent systems into day-to-day operations.
“As the connection between marketing activity and financial performance becomes more visible, agencies are being held to a higher standard of precision and accountability,” said Smith. “This creates an opportunity to more closely align how we work with the outcomes clients value.”
A key part of this transformation is HorizonOS, the company’s open operating system that integrates proprietary capabilities with external partners to deliver data-driven, client-centric solutions. It brings together technology, human expertise, and a curated ecosystem to automate workflows, generate deeper insights, and drive measurable growth. The system is anchored by Blu, Horizon’s AI-native ecosystem that powers connected marketing orchestration and media management with a focus on transparency and client outcomes.
Horizon is also restructuring its go-to-market framework to prioritize measurable business impact, including revenue growth, market share expansion, and customer acquisition, aligning agency and client success more directly.
Smith’s appointment comes alongside a broader leadership evolution that reflects both continuity and forward momentum within Horizon’s executive bench. A cohort of senior leaders, longtime Horizon mainstays deeply rooted in the agency’s strategic transformation, culture, and client commitments, is being elevated into expanded roles as they help lead this next phase. This includes:
- Cherie Hankin Calingasan, President, Horizon Next – Cherie leads the unit focused on brand building and growth for high-potential and disruptor brands. In her expanded role, she enhances Horizon Next’s portfolio impact, optimizes operational efficiency, and accelerates business growth across performance-driven brands. Cherie has been with Horizon for 12 years.
- Katie Comerford, President, Horizon Commerce and Client Transformation – Katie oversees enterprise data strategy, client transformation initiatives, and Horizon Commerce operations. She integrates marketing intelligence with the Client Architect model to align technology and talent with client growth strategies, turning Horizon’s tech ecosystem into measurable business outcomes. Katie has been with Horizon for 11 years.
- Katy Ferguson, President, Horizon Media East – Katy leads client growth, new business development, and strategic direction across all verticals for Horizon Media East. She focuses on evolving the operating model, scaling marketing intelligence capabilities, and strengthening talent structures to deliver measurable results. Katy has been with Horizon for 17 years.
Together, this leadership team is focused on integrating data, technology, and expertise to strengthen client partnerships and deliver measurable business outcomes.
“The organizations that lead will be those willing to reconsider how value is created and captured,” said Smith. “That requires new operating models, new ways of working, and a sustained commitment to outcomes.”
As the largest independent media agency globally, Horizon’s structure enables a level of speed and flexibility often constrained within traditional holding company models.
“Independence gives us the ability to act with precision and intent,” Lord said. “We are designing entirely new operating models focused on transparency, leveraging an open ecosystem of partners, and linking compensation directly to performance. As early adopters of AI, Bhavana, Cherie, Katy and Katie are leading this transformation, ensuring Horizon delivers measurable results and acts with speed and accountability on behalf of clients.”
Horizon Media Holdings is the privately-held parent company of Horizon Media, the largest U.S. media agency and the largest independent globally, with additional portfolio companies including – Horizon Next (full-service marketing); Horizon Commerce (commerce and digital experiences); Horizon Business (consulting, media and creative); One Horizon (full-service advertising); HS&E (sports and experiential); and Blue Hour Studios (influencer agency). Horizon Media Holdings has a 50/50 partnership with Havas Media Network in the performance-driven agency network, Horizon Global. Horizon Holdings drives enterprise-level innovation, fosters collaboration across its portfolio, and explores new growth opportunities and technology solutions to help its clients navigate the shifting marketing challenges of today and tomorrow.
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