• September 30, 2008

While some agencies are doing away with titles, Starcom MediaVest Group just passed out a whole new slew of them.

SMG CEO Laura Desmond announced the formation of a new global management team charged with accelerating growth, business development, product and talent across the network. The team will consist of 10 executive leaders throughout the organization who will join SMG President of Global Operations Andrew Swinand and recently named Chief Digital Officer Sean Finnegan.

The lineup includes:

Marston Allen, global director of business development and marketing. Previously, Allen was director of new business at MediaVest in New York since 2005.

Bernard Bedon, PhD, global director, talent and innovation. Based in New York, Bedon was most recently global chief talent officer for Publicis Groupe Media.

Matt Blackborn, global director, technology accounts. Based in London, Blackborn led SMG's Middle Eastern network in 2005 and 2006. In 2007, he was tapped to serve as Global Client Services Director for SMG, focusing on business development with key clients.

Dan Mattei, global brand chief financial officer. Mattei has partnered with Desmond for six years as CFO of MediaVest and then SMG's Americas operations. In this role, he will partner with VivaKi CFOs across the network to ensure a strong SMG brand.

Sasa Savic, global director of P&G. Savic joined SMG in 2006, and in the past two years has led the P&G relationship across the network.

Kate Sirkin, EVP/director of SMG's global research. Sirkin came to SMG by way of Leo Burnett London, where she joined as research director in 1988. She has led SMG's global research initiatives since 2003.

The SMG leadership team will work closely with the company's regional leadership.--Tanya Irwin