People on the Move
Wednesday, October 30, 2002

  • SAL LAGRECA, Vice Chairman and Chief Financial Officer for McCann-Erickson WorldGroup, is leaving the company. McCann WorldGroup CEO Jim Heekin said LaGreca had informed him one month ago of plans to retire in the first quarter of 2003. "He'll be very missed by McCann and by me in particular," Heekin said. LaGreca joined the company in late 1994 from parent Interpublic Group where he was a controller.

  • JOANN ROSS, Executive VP of Sales at CBS for the past four years, will replace Joe Abruzzese as President of Network Sales. Ross, second in command to Abruzzese in the CBS sales department, is a 10-year veteran of CBS, joining the network in 1992 as VP of Olympic Sales. Prior to joining CBS, she was with ABC for three years, where she sold daytime before being named a Prime Account Executive. She also spent time at the media buying firm Bozell.

  • MIKE CROSSMAN, the head of Cordiant Communication Group's CCG.XM interactive unit in Europe, has left the company. Crossman's exit comes nearly a year after CCG decided to fold most of its XM offices into the holding company's marketing services network, 141. The move was one of several cost-cutting measures initiated at the end of last year. A representative said that Dennis Kerslake, Managing Director of 141, will absorb Crossman's duties.

  • PepsiCo's Quaker Foods & Beverages unit realigned its marketing operations, and executives familiar with Quaker said the moves also involved layoffs. MARY DILLON, Gatorade Vice President of Product Offerings, was named Vice President of Marketing for breakfast products. Dillon assumes duties previously held by Todd Magazine, Quaker Vice President of Ready-To-Eat Cereals, and Rick Gomez, Quaker Vice President of Hot Cereals. Magazine succeeds Dillon at Gatorade. Gomez, meanwhile, was named VP-marketing for shelf-stable Tropicana products, a new post.

  • TechTV announced the appointment of strategic brand marketing veteran GAYNOR STRACHAN CHUN to the position of Vice President Marketing and Communications. In her new role, Strachan Chun will will oversee all areas of TechTV's brand and marketing efforts including on-air promotions, advertising, public relations, events, graphics and Web creative services. Most recently she was a consultant for TechTV and founder of Kindred Strategies, a brand and marketing consulting company.

  • Three executives in the New York office of WPP Group's Y&R Advertising have been assigned additional leadership responsibilities. The head of Y&R's New York office, ANN HAYDEN, Managing Partner in the creative department; JOHN MORRIS, Managing Partner on Colgate-Palmolive Co.'s Colgate, North America; and JOHN PARTILLA, founder and CEO of Brand Buzz, an operating unit of Y&R Advertising, as well as head of Sony Corp.'s Sony Consumer Electronics account, are joining the six-person operating committee.

  • McDonald's Corp. has added a veteran Procter & Gamble Co. executive to its U.S. marketing force. KAY NAPIER, who in June retired as P&G Vice President of North America Pharmaceuticals and Corporate Women's Health Care, will carry the title of Senior Vice President of Marketing for McDonald's USA. She will report to Larry Light, the fast-food giant's Executive Vice President and Global Chief Marketing Officer. She is Light's first hire since his arrival at McDonald's last month.

  • DAVID BELL, Vice Chairman of Interpublic Group of Cos., has relinquished his responsibilities. Bell will take on a new role within Interpublic's Advanced Marketing Services group. Interpublic has two other operating divisions, McCann-Erickson WorldGroup and FCB Group.

  • Television Bureau of Advertising President CHRIS ROHRS will serve a second three-year term at the nonprofit group, which represents television broadcast groups, advertising sales rep firms and nearly 500 individual stations.

  • Bluestreak, a provider of online marketing technology and services, announced that it has hired TERI ANDREWS as Vice President of Sales. Andrews joins Bluestreak from Yesmail, where she was VP of Sales for North America. Before Yesmail, Andrews was Vice President of Marketing/Sales for ADVO Inc., where she was responsible for the profit/loss performance of this $200 million advertising/direct mail business.

  • SF Interactive has promoted three senior executives to key management positions within the agency. Effective immediately, KAREN GORDON will assume one of the Co-Executive Creative Director positions. During her tenure at SFI, Gordon's clients have included Shockwave.com, Morgan Stanley Dean Witter Online, VeriSign, Weider Fitness Interactive and Hewlett-Packard. Before joining SFI, she was a Senior Copywriter at Cohn & Wells for Cisco, Sony, Microsoft and Miraval Resort.

  • PATRICK SPARGUR will share the Executive Creative Director with Gordon. His client experience at SF Interactive has included VeriSign, Roxio, Shockwave.com and Morgan Stanley Dean Witter Online. Previously, as Art Director for Agency.com, he was involved in creating the company's creative vision and producing Web projects for Hewlett-Packard, Pacific Bell, the California Almond Board, PG&E, Netscape and Intel.

  • Also at SF Interactive, ANDY SIMS was named Media Director. Sims will lead the media department in developing innovative online media branding and acquisition campaigns. Gordon, Spargur and Sims have been with SFI since 1999.

  • Chief Executive Officer of Australia’s Television & Media Services Ltd. BRUCE FINK will step down at the end of October and won't be replaced. The company announced Fink's resignation late Friday, saying the CEO position would be phased out. His departure coincides with a major restructure of the company as it tackles financial difficulties within its cinema advertising operations.

  • CRAIG CASE resigned as President of Advantage Marketing Systems Inc. Advantage Marketing has begun the search process to hire a new President.

  • PAT MCMARTIN this week joined the Brand Planning department of the Falls Church, Va., Capital One. McMartin recently left her position as VP of Marketing for the body care division of Sara Lee in Douglassville, Pa. Earl Grey, a division of Grey Global Group in New York, handles that account.

  • Carton Donofrio Partners, Inc., a full-service marketing communications and brand experience design firm, has filled two key agency positions. BILL SENGE (pictured left) has been tapped as Vice President, Associate Creative Director, the number two creative position at the firm, reporting to Chief Creative Officer Scott Rasmussen, and CAROLE REUSCHLE has been named Vice President, Director of Media Services at the Baltimore agency, in charge of media planning and buying.

  • Joining Deutsch LA is TOM ELSE who will Co-Manage the Mitsubishi account with Steve Morrissey. They both hold the title of Senior Vice President, Group Account Director. Else joined from Publicis & Hal Riney SF, where he managed the Saturn Corporation account and was SVP, Group Account Director.

  • Most recently with TBWA/Chiat/Day Advertising as a Managing Partner, DUFFY SMITH also joins Deutsch LA as SVP, Group Account Director and will run the Coors Light business. With over 17 years in the advertising industry, Smith spent the past 10 with TBWA/Chiat/Day on a variety of businesses, including Taco Bell, ABC Television and Infiniti. Additional agency experience includes time with Rubin Postaer & Associates, DCA Advertising and Eisaman, Johns and Laws.

  • Another Deutsch LA new hire is JOHN UPTON, who most recently managed the Hyundai Motor America account with Bates USA. He joins Deutsch as SVP, Group Account Director and will oversee the Burger King business including the Field Marketing and Creative Marketing duties the agency was awarded in July. Prior to running the Hyundai business at Bates from 1999 to 2002, Upton was with Rubin Postaer and Associates where he worked on Honda Regional Marketing.

  • A veteran of Chiat/Day, MELANIE AXTMAN joins Deutsch's media department as SVP, Media Director and will be responsible for overseeing the Mitsubishi media business, a new role at the agency. From 1991 to 1993 she was a sales representative with Sports Illustrated magazine and in 1993 rejoined Chiat/Day.

  • To help manage and oversee Deutsch LA's growth, NANCY ALLEY, most recently with Saatchi as Director of Human Interest was hired as Deutsch LA' s Vice President, Director of Human Resources. Prior to Saatchi, Alley was SVP, Director of Human Resources and Administration for Guidance, an internet development firm in Marina del Rey.

  • TONY PLESNER, President and Chief Operating Officer of 24/7 Real Media, is leaving the company after two years on the job. He will maintain a consulting role through the end of the year and will not be replaced. JOHN BARBERA, SVP, Chief Revenue Officer, has been promoted to President of Worldwide Media. Previously as Chief Revenue Officer, Barbera oversaw U.S. media. In his new post, he is now responsible for the company's media sales worldwide, along with media operations and affiliate relations.