Hendell Out In MRM Reorganization

As part of a broader management shift, Reuben Hendell is out as CEO of MRM Worldwide, the agency said Wednesday. Taking Hendell's place -- effective October 11 -- is Marc Landsberg, who most recently served as a director at private equity firm Lake Capital, following top posts at Arc Worldwide and Leo Burnett.

"It is now time for a fresh set of leadership eyes to evolve MRM to the next level of performance and collaboration," Nick Brien, CEO of McCann Worldgroup, said in a statement Wednesday.

In addition to his responsibilities at MRM, Landsberg also will assume the role of president of corporate business development for McCann Worldgroup, with specific responsibility for all M&A initiatives, coordinating strategic alliances and exploring new ventures.

Also out is Gary Lee, who is leaving the company after four years in the CFO post.

Taking his place is Tara Comonte, who comes from Mediabrands where she worked with the leadership team to create a centralized media operating company. Tara was previously the global CFO of UM and was CFO of Leo Burnett/Arc Worldwide in the complex EMEA region.

Meanwhile, Patrick Lafferty is joining McCann Worldgroup to head its newly created Global Brand Community. Lafferty will work closely with Daryl Lee, Worldgroup's chief integration architect, and the respective McCann Worldgroup global account directors.

The GBC will be comprised of the company's top 15 global accounts, ensuring that collective goals, strategies and best practices are broadly adopted.

Rapid technological changes are making the "challenge of building and managing brand equity increasingly complex," said Brien.

Also on Wednesday, John Cahill was promoted to CEO of McCann Healthcare Worldwide, replacing the existing 'Office of the CEO' leadership team that was established in 2009.

As a director of Lake Capital, with $1.3 billion in equity commitments, Landsberg guided strategy and acquisition efforts in the marketing services sector, along with managing a portfolio of marketing services agencies.

Prior to joining Lake in 2008, Landsberg was global president of Arc Worldwide for three years and led the corporate strategy function at Leo Burnett Worldwide. Earlier, he was executive VP, director of corporate strategy for BCom3.

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