• March 17, 2005

In another senior-level shakeup at an Interpublic media agency, the company confirmed Tuesday that Marie-Jose Forissier, the Paris-based worldwide chairman of Initiative and CEO of its Europe, Asia Pacific and Latin America operations, is leaving the company. The move means an even bigger role for Initiative CEO Alec Gerster, who will pick up Forissier's duties from his base in New York. The shakeup is the second this week for Interpublic, which announced on Monday that Robin Kent was stepping down as CEO of Universal McCann to take on a special, undisclosed assignment for Interpublic. Murray Dudgeon, COO of Universal, was named to succeed Kent on an interim basis. The top-level shifts occur as Interpublic prepares to defend nearly $4 billion in media buying assignments (see related story in today's MDN. -- J.M.