DigitasLBi Names Weisman North American CEO

Tony-Weisman-BIt didn’t take long for Luke Taylor, the new global CEO of DigitasLBi, to begin shaking up the management ranks at the agency network, which was formed with the February merger of Digitas and LBi, the latter acquired by Publicis last September.

Out is Colin Kinsella as North American CEO of Digitas. Replacing him is Tony Weisman, previously president, North-West Region, which included oversight of the Boston, Chicago, Detroit and San Francisco offices.

The agency said that Kinsella was considering possible alternative roles within the group but did not elaborate.

Weisman will report to Taylor who said he “blends client business understanding, marketing acumen and instinct.”

Publicis Groupe CEO Maurice Levy stated that Weisman and other leaders at the newly merged agencies are at the forefront of a “journey” to “institutionalize and deliver a global offering across the spectrum of digital innovation and technology platforms.”

During Weisman’s six-year reign as president, the shop’s Chicago office tripled in size, winning clients such as MillerCoors, Whirlpool and Sprint, while the Boston office won Zipcar and Lenovo.  Prior to Digitas, Wesman was CMO at Draftfcb Chicago. Earlier, he was with Leo Burnett.

“I am fired up and ready to go,” stated Weisman, as the shop embarks to “create the next generation of marketing.”

Amsterdam-based LBi was one of the last remaining large independent digital shops when it began talking to prospective buyers last year. Publicis paid about $540 million to acquire the agency, adding to a string of digital agency acquisitions that included Digitas, Razorfish and Rosetta.

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