SwellShark, an independent full-service media agency led by Nick Pappas and Mary Perhach, has appointed David Tucker to serve as its head of strategy.

In his new role, Tucker maps out the “moments of influence”--the NY agency’s guiding mantra of reaching target audiences at the moment they will be most receptive to the brand promise--for client brands. He works directly with each client’s creative agency or in-house team to ensure that the media strategy is informed by the brand strategy and creative choices are informed by data and insights.

Tucker comes to SwellShark from UM, where he served as VP global intelligence director and director of strategy and helped lead global research and insights for UM’s agency marketing and for clients such as Sony, Hershey’s, and Brown-Forman. In addition he was strategy director for the Sony Corporation of America account focusing on data-driven, addressable, and programmatically bought media.

Before his stint at UM, Tucker worked at McCann Worldgroup, where he helped found and serve as VP-deputy director for McCann Truth Central, the agency global thought leadership and research unit. He began his career as a consultant with Bain and Company.

“Having worked on both the creative and media sides, I am really excited to join an agency that emphasizes a harmonization of the planning process between the two disciplines,” said Tucker.

SwellShark provides media services to Sotheby’s International Realty, Hudson Whiskey, Applegate and Freelancers Union, among other companies. The agency was also recently named U.S. media agency of record by Virgin Atlantic.