• by David Kaplan , January 20, 2005

After weeks of speculation, David Bell will shift from his post as CEO of Interpublic Group of Companies to co-chairman--while Michael Roth, the ad holding giant's current sole chairman, adds the title of CEO to his portfolio of duties, the company announced Wednesday.

The move comes in the wake of other executive suite reshufflings, including the recent appointment of former Grey Global Group Executive Steve Blamer to the president and chief executive post at Foote Cone & Belding.

Bell, who replaced John Dooner as Interpublic's president, CEO, and chairman in Feb 2003, has a long background in the advertising industry, and was seen as instrumental in turning IPG, which in recent years had been plagued by accounting irregularities, acquisition difficulties, and a general malaise resulting from the ad recession of the late 1990s.

Roth, a board member since 2002, was named chairman in June 2004. His previous experience was as chairman-CEO of the financial services firm MONY. --David Kaplan