Merkle is bringing together its existing analytics teams from the performance media agency and customer analytics businesses in the EMEA region.

The combined team will comprise around 150 data scientists, 50 engineers and over 500 business analysts and strategists, and offer services including data science, engineering and data strategy consulting.

The company is also partnering with cloud businesses to offer custom toolkits and analytics for Merkle and Dentsu clients.

Gott (pictured), previously senior vice-president of digital analytics, was director of analytics when at Periscopix when it was acquired by Merkle in 2015. In his new role, he will report to Michael Komasinski, president of Merkle EMEA.

Komasinski said: “Ben’s ethos is rooted in the idea that everything is measurable and analytics is a powerful source of competitive advantage. This, and his expertise in building an analytics business and driving value for clients through marketing performance, has been a key part in the growth of Merkle’s UK operations.”