• by Gavin O'Malley  @mp_gavin, October 16, 2008

Mediaedge:cia's digital agency MEC Interaction has lost its longtime head Alan Schanzer to online ad network Undertone Networks.

The move, however, has been months in the making--and leaves MEC Interaction in the best possible position going forward, according to Mediaedge:cia CEO Lee Doyle.

"I've been talking for months with Alan, who made it clear that he wanted a very different kind of challenge after bringing MEC from nowhere to the top of its field," said Doyle.

Effective immediately, two of MEC's existing executives have been tapped to jointly oversee the digital agency. Patrick Cartmel has been named managing director, digital operations, while Carrie Frolich has been named managing director, digital media.

"Carrie is a natural choice for this role," said Doyle, who will oversee both executives directly. "She has demonstrated considerable leadership skills overseeing the consolidation of digital spending for our largest client--AT&T, while Patrick has both the technical prowess and creative thinking to build on our digital offerings."

According to Doyle, the new dual leadership structure is the result of an increasingly complex digital world. "It's become a much more complex and specialized capability, and Patrick and Carrie both bring very different skills to the table."

Frolich will continue to lead the AT&T digital assignment, and will now be expected to leverage MEC Interaction's total investment in order to maximize the agency's trading position in digital. She will also oversee all digital media vendor relationships for MEC Interaction.

Cartmel, who will relocate from MEC Interaction Seattle, will be responsible for operations and leading the product development of MEC Interaction's expanding gaming, social media and mobile practices from New York. Both Frolich and Cartmel will serve on the MEC North American Executive Committee.

What does Doyle make of Undertone--where Schanzer is taking on the newly created position of chief strategy officer--and the broader ad network sector?

"The jury's still out," said Doyle. Even less encouragingly, Doyle said of Schanzer's choice: "One of the realities today is that people are more and more looking at their careers as shorter windows--18 months down the road, rather than five years."

Named OMMA Magazine's 2007 Interactive Agency of the Year, MEC Interaction's best years are yet to come, Doyle assured. "The work we were recognized for last year, we began developing in 2004. We're involved now in the same long-term planning."

Cartmel joined MEC Interaction in 2005, and has grown the Seattle office from zero to a fully-serviced digital media operation that includes both search and social Media specialty services.

Frolich joined MEC Interaction in 2002 to infuse digital principles and share best practices with clients, enabling them to understand how best to connect with their customers via digital channels.