• by David Kaplan , April 5, 2005

Just when it looked like Interpublic's Universal McCann unit had stabilized a spate of high-level defections, another top executive--Mark Stewart, long-time Chief Strategy Officer, is leaving the media shop. OMD Monday announced that Stewart is joining as managing director for the OMD Eastern Region and a member of the North America Operating Committee.

Stewart is succeeding Jill Botway, who will concentrate more on managerial projects, including overseeing several of OMD's Strategic Business Units. She will retain the title of managing director. The strategic business units include OMD Direct, OMG (Outdoor Media Group), OMD Latino, and OMD's newspaper division.

A media veteran for over 25 years, Stewart, 45, is this year's Cannes Media Lions jury president. He has held senior posts at J. Walter Thompson in Sydney, Melbourne, and New York. Following his stint at JWT, Stewart co-founded Media First International in 1992. The full-service media agency was bought by Interpublic Group, and now operates as an independent unit of IPG's Initiative Media.

In 1995, he joined McCann-Erickson as senior vice president and media director. Two years later, he was promoted to executive vice president, North American media director, where he launched Universal McCann in the United States and worked to help launch MAGNA, IPG's global negotiation and buying resource.

In 2002, he was promoted to chief strategy officer.

Last month, Robin Kent was replaced as worldwide chief executive of Univeral McCann by Murray Dudgeon, the agency's chief operating officer, on an interim basis.

As for Botway, she was executive vice president and director of marketing for Initiative Media North America before she came to OMD in 2003. She had joined Initiative Media three years earlier when The Botway Group--which was started by her father, Cliff--merged into Initiative Media. After serving as chief legal counsel for The Botway Group in 1990, she was eventually named CEO of its media buying business.