Freeserve poaches Granada Interactive ad sales chief

Free ISP Freeserve has poached the head of sales from Granada Media Interactive to take up the newly created post of advertising sales director.

Caroline Hughes will be responsible for all advertising and sponsorship revenues and will manage Freeserve’s relationship with online sales network DoubleClick.

Hughes will report to Sarah Carpenter, VP for strategy and new business at Freeserve.

At Granada Media Interactive, Hughes was responsible for generating revenues on ITV’s Formula One website (www.itv-f1.com) and other entertainment channels. Before this, she worked as a strategic media planner for Universal McCann Worldwide.

The appointment of a new senior advertising executive at Freeserve follows AltaVista and other ISPs’ decision to offer unmetered Internet access in the next few months. Freeserve has said it too will offer an unmetered service.

In anticipation of a more advertising-based revenue structure, Freeserve has been working closely with iWeb, a technology company offering pop-up ads that follow a user around the Web.