• by Steve McClellan  @mp_mcclellan, May 28, 2014

McCann Worldgroup has named Ed Powers as CEO of its global production and distribution unit Craft Worldwide. He replaces Fred Schuster, who left the company in January.

In his new role, Powers will oversee operations in 20 countries and lead a team of more than 600 staffers. Craft works with companies and brands such as Coca-Cola, General Mills, General Motors, L’Oreal and Microsoft, which awarded Craft global distribution duties last month.

“Ed has played a leading role in building out our global network and has worked closely with our business units and leadership teams,” said Harris Diamond, Chairman and CEO of McCann Worldgroup. “His understanding of our clients’ needs and his background in designing operational solutions make him ideally suited to the task of leading Craft.”

Previously, Powers served as executive vice president, operations, McCann Worldgroup. Powers joined McCann Worldgroup in January 2013, after serving as COO at Interpublic Group’s CMG division, which includes Weber Shandwick, Golin Harris, FutureBrand, Jack Morton and other marketing communications firms.

Prior to CMG, he served at Interpublic’s Lowe Worldwide, where he is credited with playing a key role in restructuring the organization, improving performance, and revamping the finance, corporate communications, human resources and IT functions.