Deutsch New York Promotes Husani Oakley to Chief Technology Officer

Adweek - Minda Smiley

Photo courtesy Daniella Morrison

Husani Oakley has been promoted to chief technology officer at Deutsch New York.

Deutsch New York eliminated the role three years ago when Trevor O’Brien, who previously served as CTO, left the agency. Oakley is now taking it on after serving as evp-director of technology and innovation. He first joined Deutsch New York in 2018 as svp-director of technology.

In this role, he will report to Deutsch New York CEO Val DiFebo and work alongside the agency’s strategy, media and creative departments to spearhead technology efforts for clients such as AB InBev, Reebok and Johnson & Johnson. He will also continue to lead Great Machine, Deutsch’s artificial intelligence innovation studio.

Oakley spoke to Adweek about his new role and what exactly a chief technology does at an agency. According to Oakley, the chief technology officer is a “decider” of sorts, helping agencies determine how technology, data, machine learning, artificial intelligence and more can be used internally and for client work.

“Creative minds, like Husani, are naturally curious and rarely satisfied with the status quo, which is what makes him the perfect candidate to lead Deutsch’s technology offering,” DiFebo said in a statement. “In addition to advancing our vision, Husani will continue to redefine Deutsch’s digital expertise and align our offerings with the world’s ever-changing business needs.”

Before joining Deutsch, Husani served as chief technology officer at GoldBean, an online investing startup. Throughout his career, he’s also held technology roles at Wieden + Kennedy and Evolution Bureau. Additionally, he’s one of the co-founders of Flavorpill, an event newsletter acquired by Bustle Digital Group two years ago.