• by Steve McClellan  @mp_mcclellan, September 20, 2016

Independent ad agency Rauxa has appointed Laurel Rossi as its chief marketing officer. 

Rossi, who joins from Havas, is tasked with building the agency’s brand-consulting, experiential, and social capabilities. She’ll also focus on fulfilling the agency’s stated commitment to diversity. 

At Havas Rossi served as president of both its Strat Farm and Life & Wellness agencies. At Strat Farm, an agency she started and sold to Havas in 2011, she led work for marquee brands, including AT&T, Nestlé, Johns Hopkins Medicine, and Weight Watchers. 

Earlier she spent 10 years with Interpublic’s Hill Holliday, where she held numerous roles, including managing director of the New York office. 

“We’re resolute in our commitment to growing our digital offerings, to advancing diversity in our industry, and to tapping data first and foremost to drive our work every day,” commented Gina Alshuler, who was promoted to CEO of Rauxa earlier this year. “What we saw in Laurel is a true industry leader who can adeptly bring these pieces, and more, together for us in order to build our brand and our solutions, as we pursue the next wave of growth.” 

Rossi’s addition to Rauxa’s C-suite makes her the sixth female executive out of eight at the agency, which was founded by Jill Gwaltney in 1999. In July the agency appointed Kate Daggett Chief Creative Officer.