• by Steve McClellan  @mp_mcclellan, August 28, 2014

Razorfish, the Publicis Groupe digital shop, has appointed Deb Boyda President of its Central Region, effective Sept. 2. Based in Chicago, she will report to Shannon Denton, CEO of Razorfish North America. 

Boyda is tasked with overseeing the profitability and growth of the Austin and Chicago offices, which together have over 400 Razorfish employees.  She will be responsible for directing the region’s client base, which includes brands like Kraft, Citi Retail Services and Car2Go, and packaging client service offerings that drive business results, per the agency. 

Boyda most recently served as Vice President and General Manager for spirits marketer Beam Global Spirits & Wine, with annual billings of $3 billion. 

Over the course of her three years at Beam, Boyda was responsible for the marketing for some of its top brands including Skinnygirl, Pinnacle and Courvoisier.  Previously, she was with Miller Brewing Company as VP of Content.  

Boyda began her career on the agency-side at Euro RSCG where she worked her way up to Managing Partner. She then went to Leo Burnett and then to Ogilvy & Mather where as Managing Partner she led the North American launch of Dove’s award-winning “Campaign for Real Beauty.”  

“Deb is someone who shares Razorfish’s passion for leveraging digital to transform businesses,” said Denton of the hire. “Her track record of helping companies to foster meaningful dialogues with their consumer base is as remarkable as the brands she’s served.” 

"I’ve had the privilege of marketing a diverse portfolio of brands and products since the start of my career,” said Boyda.  “Accepting an agency role after being client-side for so long was a big decision that required my 100% confidence... I’m excited to immerse myself in the work and people of the Austin and Chicago offices and further develop this flourishing region."