Meta’s ad leader in the Americas, Alvin Bowles, announced he is leaving the company after nearly 18 months in the prominent sales role. Simon Whitcombe, who has been with Meta for 12 years, will now lead the North America business, Ad Age has learned.

Whitcombe has been leading teams in Meta’s global business division, with a focus on the entertainment, travel, auto, financial services and technology sectors. As Bowles did, Whitcombe will report to Nicola Mendelsohn, Meta’s head of global business group. Maren Lau, Meta’s VP of the Latin America business for more than 6 years, will now report to Mendelsohn after previously reporting to Bowles. 

In a statement to Ad Age, Mendelsohn called Whitcombe a “trusted leader,” citing his experience in multiple verticals across advertising. Whitcombe said he would focus on helping businesses of all sizes leverage the platform.

Bowles announced his departure from Meta in a LinkedIn post on Tuesday, saying he was ready to “explore the next chapter of my career.” Bowles did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 

Bowles had been with Meta since 2015 and ascended to the lead sales position in the Americas, including the U.S., in 2023.

Meta’s ad business has been on an upward trajectory since Bowles stepped into the role. The company, which runs Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, returned to growth in 2023 after recording its first revenue decline as a public company in the second quarter of 2022. Meta was forced to overhaul its ad platform following a series of industry-wide challenges, including the pandemic and new rules around data-sharing on Apple devices that shook up how ads get targeted on apps. In the third quarter of 2024, Meta’s revenue rose 19% to $40.59 billion.

Meta is also remaking its ad platform to rely more on AI tools to generate ads and manage campaigns. The push into AI has more brands using tools such as Advantage+, the company’s automated service that relies on AI to target audiences and manage bidding. Meta has said that more than 15 million ads have been created using its generative AI tools. At the same time, brands and ad agencies are still trying to understand the effect AI has on their digital marketing, and how these tools fit into their strategies.

~ ~ ~
CORRECTION: A previous version of this story incorrectly reported the areas Simon Whitcombe would oversee.