On the final morning of his last AAAAs media conference, Burtch Drake dined alone. The AAAAs chief executive -- who's spent years glad-handing agency execs and clients (he once was European area
director for Life Savers, based in London) -- took a pass on the smoozing Friday AM, pouring over USA Today as he took in eggs, bacon and toast at a Venetian restaurant solo. While it's unlikely
the soon-to-retire Drake was checking out the want ads, a potential knockout successor was having breakfast at a nearby table. It's unlikely Renetta McCann would leave her top post at Starcom
MediaVest, but could the AAAAs hire a better new leader? The dynamic, charismatic, brainy, press-friendly and too-many-other-praiseworthy-adjectives-to-name McCann would certainly raise the trade
group's profile from Madison Avenue to Washington. And with Starcom consistently on the cutting edge in moving into the future before its competitors, McCann would surely be a sterling choice to do
the same at the AAAAs.
