Telecoms industry veteran Vicki Coelho has been appointed chief executive officer of the recently merged advertising agency AAC and online ticketing and events solution company Ptix.

In a statement, the company said that Ms Coelho “is an experienced executive board member with a strong business development background and is skilled in business planning, IT strategy, organisational leadership, and execution”.

Michael Branco, chairman of AAC and Ptix, said: “Vicki is a successful strategic leader with a strong track record of management, sales and marketing and a deep understanding of Bermuda’s market — all of which are critical for the leadership of the newly merged company.”

He added: “Vicki has been a supporter of the companies we’ve built over the past ten years and I am confident that she will be the strong visionary AAC and Ptix need to thrive locally and internationally. Each time Vicki is involved in our companies we see growth and increased services for our clients.”

Ms Coelho has more than 20 years of experience in the technology industry, including 15-plus years at Logic (North Rock Communications) where she served as general manager and CEO.

Ms Coelho, the company said, is a strong advocate for coaching and developing information technology leaders in Bermuda, adding that she accomplishes this via her directorship roles at the Technology Leadership Forum, E-Commerce Advisory Board and the Bermuda Chamber of Commerce.

Ms Coelho said: “I am so excited to join the talented team at AAC and Ptix. The environment Michael and the group has built is one of collaboration, and my role will be to support and empower the Bermuda-based team to continue to deliver quality products and services for our clients.”

Ms Coelho will be located at 29 Front Street, Hamilton, the offices of the combined AAC and Ptix operations.

AAC and Ptix, which merged in August, is a full-service advertising agency and digital marketing company specialising in communications strategy, creative and graphic design, web development and hosting, e-commerce, event and conference management, digital marketing and management, as well as offering the Ptix ticketing portal services.

AAC is owned by Premier Tickets. AAC and Ptix will continue operating under their brand names. They are part of the Celeste Group of Companies, which also includes IT provider Fireminds and Innovation House.

Ms Coelho served as non-executive chairwoman of Fireminds from January 2015 until September 2017.

The news of Ms Coelho’s appointment is the second announcement concerning a chief executive officer in Bermuda this week.

On Monday, in a filing with the Bermuda Stock Exchange, Bermuda Aviation Services announced that CEO Leslie Rans is to step down at the end of the month and will “take a leadership role with another Bermudian business”.

Ms Rans, who declined to comment about her future plans, is a former chief financial officer of both One Communications and KeyTech Ltd.