Winstar Interactive Media, a division of Interep Interactive Inc. the largest independent Internet sales representation company in the world, named MATT MCGUIRE Vice President of Sales, West Coast. He replaces Tim Moynihan who went on to Google. McGuire has been with Winstar Interactive Media since June of 2000 as an Account Manager working in the Dallas area office. He will remain in Dallas to run Winstar’s West Coast sales operation.

America Online has appointed GERALD SOKOL, JR. to the new post of Executive Vice President of AOL International. Previously he wass SVP and GM of International Operations, and oversaw global activities, including the development of strategic alliances, new markets and new products, business planning, marketing, e-commerce and advertising. The company has also promoted GREG CONSIGLIO, VP of AOL International, to Senior Vice President of that division. As VP of AOL International, Consiglio was responsible for opening AOL offices in Hong Kong and Beijing and overseeing the company's Asia Pacific business.

JOHN WOODWARD has been promoted to Regional Planning Director for the Leo Burnett Asia Pacific region. He was previously Planning Director for the Greater China and ASEAN region.

Essence Communications Partners has appointed ROBERT L. HAWKINS to the position of Chief Marketing Officer. He will be responsible for developing and executing new marketing programs to drive incremental advertising pages, promoting the Essence Music Festival and the Essence Awards, as well as providing marketing support for new magazine and product development. Prior to joining Essence, Hawkins served as Senior Vice President of Marketing at Bee-Alive, Inc., a health and nutritional products company based in New York.

Reuters Group, the information, news and technology company, said that NIALL FITZGERALD, Joint Chairman and CEO of Unilever, will join the Reuters Board as a Non-Executive Director in 2003. Reuters also announced the resignation of Dennis Malamatinas as a Non-Executive Director.

New hires at Saatchi & Saatchi’s LA office: BONNIE CHAN is the new Integrated Communications Director…

And JIM HELBERG is the new Director of Media Operations. Both Chan and Helberg will work with the office’s major clients including Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc., and Procter & Gamble.

Frankel, Chicago, a promotions agency, promoted RICHARD THOMAS to President-CEO. Thomas, who was Executive Vice President, succeeds Jim Mack, who continues as Group Chairman, but will step out of the day-to-day management role he assumed in January. Thomas joined Frankel in 1993 as VP Business Development, and later assumed the roles of VP in charge of building the agency’s non-promotional services, and VP in charge of repositioning direct marketing, database marketing and digital marketing capabilities. Earlier, he held various marketing and management posts at Donnelley Marketing and Johnson & Johnson.

Palisades Media Group announced the addition of Senior Media Buyer, STEPHANIE BERNARDO, to their Santa Monica office. Bernardo will be responsible for spot radio, television and cable media buys for PMG's business department. She comes to PMG from La Agencia De Orci & Asociados where she was Hispanic Market Broadcast Media Buyer. In this capacity, she worked on accounts for the Verizon Corporation, Honda Regional, Pepsico/Gamesa and Tampico Orange Drink in the Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, Tampa and Washington DC.

Yum Brands' Pizza Hut hired TOM JAMES as Chief Marketing Officer. James is a 14-year veteran of Interpublic Group of Cos.' Avrett Free & Ginsberg, New York, where he served most recently as Senior Executive Group Account Director.