• by Steve McClellan  @mp_mcclellan, July 24, 2013

Media shop Maxus, a unit of WPP’s GroupM, has named Chris Martin senior partner, director business development and marketing for the North American region, a new post at the agency. Martin will report to Louis Jones, the agency's NA CEO. The appointment is effective immediately.

Jones said the new post is a “key position for us in North America as we work to fuel the growth and stature of Maxus in this region and globally.”

Martin, who is based in New York, joins Maxus from crosstown rival Omnicom Media Group, where he was director, business development and marketing.

At Maxus, beside coordinating new business development for North America, Martin will also work closely with the agency’s global new business team on worldwide account pitches, playing a key role in the shop’s PR efforts and strategic communications initiatives, according to the agency.

Jones cited Martin’s “broad experience in all the areas we need to address at this stage of our development."

At OMG, Martin managed new business pitches for both global and national accounts and headed up several marketing initiatives, working closely with a range of Omnicom entities, such as OMD, PHD, Optimum Sports, and Outdoor Media Group, among others.

Before taking on the OMG role in 2011, Martin was business development and marketing director at Omnicom media agency PHD. He’s credited with playing a key role in helping the agency reel in important new accounts, including Gap and pharmaceutical firm GlaxoSmithKline. Earlier, Martin was as an account director for Ogilvy & Mather’s event and experiential marketing unit OgilvyAction in New York.

Before getting into the agency business, Martin was a trial attorney, both in private practice and initially at the Suffolk County (NY) Attorney’s Office.

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