• by Fern Siegel , January 12, 2011

Interpublic has upped Matt Seiler to CEO, Mediabrands; he was CEO of UM, the largest unit within the company. Jacki Kelley, currently UM's North American CEO, will fill his vacated post.

Michael I. Roth, Interpublic's Chairman and CEO touted Seiler's abilities to drive the organization in the digital marketplace, as well as the company's ability to sustain solid leaders in-house.

"The performance we've seen in recent years at UM, Initiative and our Mediabrands Ventures agencies has been exceptional. Matt Seiler's leadership role with clients, in winning new business and in attracting some of the best talent into our organization made the decision to promote him a logical next step," stated Roth.

The Wall Street Journal noted that Seiler enhanced his portfolio by added new business from various companies, including L'Oreal SA, MasterCard and Chrysler Group.

Seiler promises to continue to "push the envelope when it comes to delivering collaborative models with Interpublic's full-service brand agencies -- both domestically and internationally."

He joined IPG as global chief executive officer of UM in August 2008.