Carat poaches director from EMAP Online

Carat Interactive has poached Robert Horler, the commercial director of EMAP Online, to be a managing partner in the business.

Horler will work with fellow managing partner Richard Whea-ton. He will be supported by a team of more than 20 specialists in the task of building Carat’s online planning and buying credentials.

Carat chief executive Mark Craze says the company will also be recruiting senior planning directors “to ensure we have a team with real strength in depth.”

He says: “Our single-minded objective is to create the UK’s outstanding online planning and buying specialist and we are putting together the best team to achieve that goal.”

Horler says: “Carat is absolutely committed to developing its online business. It has a blue-chip client list to die for.”

Horler has been commercial director at Emap Online for the past 14 months. Before that he worked at ft.com for a year as agency sales manager, and prior to that he was at Line One, the joint venture between United News & Media and BT, where he was also agency sales manager.