SINGAPORE - Consumer marketplace Carousell has brought on board JJ Eastwood, the former managing director for the Asia-Pacific at Rakuten Marketing, to lead its lead its advertising sales and operations divisions, it said in a media release on Monday (July 22).

The company said his appointment deepens its advertising bench following its hiring of former Property Guru chief business officer Lewis Ng as chief commercial officer in May. Carousell said it aims to transform itself into a premium publisher by bolstering value-added services and premium products for clients.

As managing director for advertising, Mr Eastwood reports to Mr Ng, and will be responsible for building commercial relationships with brands. He will also manage the platform's advertising strategy to bring growth to clients, spanning general sectors to high-value categories like cars and property.

In his last position, Mr Eastwood led Rakuten Marketing's expansion of its programmatic, affiliate and search businesses in the region. He has also held stints at eBay, advertising technology firm Rocket Fuel, and was also the chief executive at HuffPost Australia.

Mr Eastwood said in the release: "Carousell is uniquely positioned between two of the fastest growing industries in South-east Asia, ecommerce and digital advertising, and with treasure trove of search and intent data that marketers can leverage, it is an exciting time to be joining the business."