More Changes At Campbell Ewald


Interpublic Group’s Campbell Ewald continues to revamp senior management in the wake of a scandal that resulted in the firing of its former CEO Jim Palmer earlier this year. 

In April the agency promoted Kevin Wertz to CEO (he had been president), and Jo Shoesmith to Chief Creative Officer (she had been executive creative director). 

Now the agency is reorganizing senior management around what it calls a discipline-based operating structure versus a geographical one. 

Kari Shimmel has been appointed to the new position of Chief Marketing Officer across all offices and will be responsible for business development, and Brian Phelps takes on the dual role of Chief Operating Officer for the network (the shop has offices in Detroit, Los Angeles and New York) and Managing Director of the Detroit office, a new post. 

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As previous co-leads on agency-wide new business efforts Phelps was responsible for client services while Shimmel led strategy and planning efforts. They are credited with leading the effort that brought in new clients such as Travelocity, Covered California, Country Inns & Suites, Empire State Development and Valero. 

Zenaida Torres, formerly the Group Account Director in Los Angeles, is now the Managing Director where she’ll be responsible for all agency operations for that office. 

Jamie Lewis, formerly the Director of Planning and Digital Strategy in Los Angeles, becomes Managing Director, Digital, across the network. 

Chip Rich moves from Group Creative Director to Executive Creative Director in New York where he’ll oversee creative direction for various Campbell Ewald clients. 

Lora Stock has been appointed Group Director Social and Content Strategy for the Campbell Ewald network. She joins the agency from Doner in Detroit where she was SVP Director of Content Strategy. 

Wertz said the shift to a discipline-based organization would better leverage “the export of ideas and solutions between offices.” 

Palmer’s dismissal came several months after a creative in the agency’s San Antonio office distributed a racist memo that resulted in the loss of a major client based there—financial firm USAA (which subsequently moved its business to sibling agency MullenLowe). With the departure of USAA the agency shuttered its San Antonio office. 


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