 Ahmad Al-Khatib |
Ahmad Al-Khatib, a former director of Cambridge Analytica focused on healthcare initiatives in the Middle East, has launched Auspex International geopolitical communications firm in London.
He views Auspex as a platform “to build an ethically-based, data-driven communications” firm involved in healthcare initiatives and combatting the “spread of extremist ideology,” according to the firm’s release.
Mark Turnbull, who was managing director of CA’s international political unit and former staffer at the now collapsed Bell Pottinger, is managing director of Auspex.
CA worked for the presidential campaigns of Texas Senator Ted Cruz and Donald Trump along with the Leave.EU campaign in the UK.
The firm collapsed on May 1 following disclosures that it acquired the personal data of 87M Facebook users from an external researcher and used it without receiving permission.
Auspex understands its responsibility to operate with integrity, according to Turnbull. “Political campaigns take place in a complex world of moral hazard and defy hard and fast rules, but they can and should be governed by principles and values,” he said.
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Eric Salama, who survived a stabbing attack about a year ago, has decided to step down as CEO of Kantar, now that WPP has completed the sale of a 60 percent stake in the data business to Bain Capital.
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Interpublic is acquiring Acxiom Corp.'s data management unit for $2.3B, a transaction designed to enable the ad/PR giant to compete against Google and Facebook.
Verizon will launch Fifth Generation wireless residential broadband services in three to five U.S. markets in 2018, becoming the first company to do so.
