• by Gavin O'Malley  @mp_gavin, January 10, 2007

Following a turbulent year for the full service agency, Agency.com announced two key hires on Tuesday. The Omnicom unit has hired Philippe Guegan as strategy director and Steve Baer as vice president of client services for its New York office.

Guegan, who most recently served as a strategy director at Blast Radius in New York, will be expected to strengthen the research and measurement capabilities of Agency.com to increase the effectiveness of its client marketing initiatives.

Steve Baer--joining Agency.com from FullSIX UK, a European interactive and relationship marketing agency--will now oversee agency accounts including British Airways and Choice Hotels International.

Last year was a chaotic one for the Omnicom Group, amid efforts to expand overseas and align with sister shop TBWA. Eric Valk Peterson, managing partner of Agency.com's New York office, and his counterpart in San Francisco, Alan Burgis, resigned in late November. And early in 2006, Agency.com lost its then-president and CEO, Don Scales, over what a company spokeswoman said were "strategic differences."

After landing at interactive marketing and search agency iCrossing, Scales made a point of poaching four Agency.com staffers from its Dallas offices: Colin Turney, managing director; Marlin Jackson, vice president of business development; Lori Wilson, creative director; and Rob Garner, senior strategic planner.

Scales, who took the reins from Agency's founder Chan Suh in 2001, was succeeded by David Eastman last March. Eastman has kept busy, opening three European offices and planning for others in Paris and Shanghai shortly.

Eastman replaced Valk Peterson in New York on an interim basis, while Brian Hollyfield took Burgis' place in San Francisco.