Alain Groenendaal Appointed President & CEO of Grey Latin America

NEW YORK, Feb. 22, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Jim Heekin, Chairman and CEO of Grey Group, today announced that Alain Groenendaal has been appointed President & CEO of Grey Latin America, which operates in 18 markets in the region.  Groenendaal will continue to serve in his current role as President and CEO of Wing, Grey Group's full-service marketing communications agency focused on the intersection of the U.S. Hispanic, Latin American and general markets.

(Photo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120222/NY57925 )

"Alain Groenendaal is a dynamic leader with a superb track record for building brands, delivering breakthrough creativity and forging strong client partnerships," Jim Heekin said.  "He has taken Wing to the next level of its success and will accelerate our growth as we unite our Latin American and U.S. Hispanic capabilities into a powerful resource."

Groenendaal joined Grey to lead Wing in 2008.  Earlier, he served as General Manager of La Comunidad, the successful Miami agency, where he compiled an outstanding growth record and led them to become Adweek's Marketing & Medios "Agency of the Year."  He also spent two decades at Leo Burnett, rising to the post of Senior Vice President, Regional Account Director in Latin America, working on such blue-chip accounts as Visa, P&G, Citibank, Bacardi, Kellogg's, Disney, United Airlines and Federal Express.  Groenendaal lived in Chile, Puerto Rico and Brazil and worked across 17 countries in the region.

Groenendaal succeeds Riccardo Ferraris who has overseen Grey Latin America and Grey Brazil since 2009.  Ferraris will concentrate on his role in Brazil, which has included leading the recent merger of Grey and 141, now a top 15 agency in the country, under the banner of Grey 141 Group.

In addition, Grey Group announced that Andrew Speyer has been promoted to Managing Director of Wing.  He joined Wing in 2010 as Vice President, Head of Strategy and has been a prime mover in the agency's highly-successful new business, client development, talent recruitment and industry outreach efforts.

"Andrew Speyer has been a key partner to me in the revitalization and success of Wing," Alain Groenendaal said.  "This well-deserved promotion underscores the talented team we've built and the expanded role he will play in furthering our momentum in the years ahead."

A 16-year veteran of both general market and Hispanic market agencies, Speyer previously held senior strategic planning posts at Zubi Advertising, La Comunidad and began his career at Crispin Porter + Bogusky.

About Grey

Grey has operations in 18 Latin American markets.  It is the advertising network of Grey Group.  Grey Group ranks among the largest global communications companies.  Its parent company is WPP (NASDAQ: WPPGY).  Grey Famously Effective Since 1917 serves a blue-chip client roster of many of the world's best known companies:  Procter & Gamble, GlaxoSmithKline, Diageo, Darden Restaurants, Pfizer, Canon, 3M, Eli Lilly, ETrade, NFL, Boehringer Ingelheim and T.J. Maxx.  FAST COMPANY named Grey in its "The World's 50 Most Innovative Companies" issue in 2010 and 2011.  ADVERTISING AGE named Grey to its prestigious "A-LIST" of the best agencies in 2012.  (www.grey.com)

About Wing

Wing (formerly WingLatino) is a leading full-service marketing communications agency focused on the intersection of the U.S. Hispanic, Latin American and general markets, re-imagining what it means to be an agency in the Latino space. Wing's client roster includes some of the world's most recognizable brands, such as P&G's Pantene, Downy, Cover Girl and Olay, in addition to Goya Foods, Eli Lilly, Reliant Energy, Partnership for Drug Free America and the Ad Council. An agency within WPP's Grey Group, Wing is headquartered in New York with offices in Miami. For a look at who we are and what inspires us, visit www.insidewing.com.

Contact: Owen J. Dougherty
212.546.2551

SOURCE Grey

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