Ogilvy Launches New Client-Centric Structure in the USA

NEW YORK, Feb. 16, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- On the heels of Ogilvy Worldwide Chairman and CEO John Seifert's recent global announcements, Ogilvy USA CEO Lou Aversano has followed up with several key personnel appointments of his own as he seeks to activate the company's Next Chapter strategy in the USA.  As previously announced, the USA will be the first market to undergo the company's transformation and will set the stage for how the changes will happen across the Ogilvy enterprise globally.  Ogilvy USA will go live in April 2017.

Under Ogilvy USA, the company will come together as one, single Ogilvy brand – shifting from a focus on disciplines and subbrands to a focus on clients and specialty skills and expertise.   

At the center of this new, client-centric model, will be "Groups." These Groups will represent nine individual portfolios of a diverse mix of clients with talent spanning "Domains" including Enterprise Branding, Digital and Innovation, Customer Engagement and Commerce, Influence and PR, and Media and Distribution. These portfolios will span all of Ogilvy's clients across its Atlanta, Cambridge, Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles and New York.  Integrated Functions [Finance, Talent, Business Development, Communications] will also serve across the USA enterprise.

"The challenge of building brands today has never been more difficult as a new kind of marketing leader emerges – one with new skills, concerns and needs," said Lou Aversano, Ogilvy USA CEO.  "It is crucial for us to adapt, rethink and anticipate how we work together to best meet the changing needs of our clients. Ogilvy USA now gives us the opportunity to reimagine the bold, ambitious and vibrant culture that David Ogilvy created so many years ago."

Over the past several months, Ogilvy USA identified a diverse team of leaders with a wide range of skills and distinct areas of expertise to best serve the clients that the agency works with and the brands that they represent.

This team will be responsible for the overall leadership of Ogilvy USA including client management, talent, new business and finance.  Many of these leaders will continue to service existing clients both here and abroad.  Additional leaders will be named over the coming weeks and months.

Ogilvy USA Leadership Team:

Client Group Leaders:

Nelly Andersen, previously Executive Vice President, Global Brand Management, OgilvyOne Worldwide (London)

Michele Anderson, previously Managing Director, Ogilvy PR (Chicago) and will also serve as Influence and PR Domain lead

Alvaro Cabrera, previously Chief Strategy Officer, North America, OgilvyOne Worldwide (New York) and will also serve as Customer Engagement and Commerce Domain lead

Cathy Francque, previously Managing Director, Ogilvy (Chicago)

Mark Himmelsbach, previously President, Content + Social North America, Ogilvy (New York) and will also serve as Digital and Innovation Domain lead

Todd Krugman, President, IBM Global Brand Services, Ogilvy (New York) and previously CEO Ogilvy Japan

Sean Muzzy, previously Chief Executive Officer, Neo@Ogilvy (New York) and will also serve as Media and Distribution Domain lead

Stephanie Ricke, previously President, Leopard (Denver) and Senior Vice President, The Lacek Group (Minneapolis)

Sandeep Vasudevan, previously Worldwide Managing Director, Ogilvy (New York)

The integrated functions leads include Simone Oppenheimer (Business Development); Suresh Raj [Growth (Global and USA lead)]; Jennifer Risi [Communications (Global and USA lead)]; Jim Woods (Finance); and Jean-Rene Zetrenne (Talent).

Additional appointments include Kate Cronin to lead the USA Health & Wellness practice in partnership with the WPP Health & Wellness offering, Adam Tucker will lead the USA Enterprise Branding Domain, Ben Levine will serve as Senior Advisor, Transformation and Jack Rooney will lead Integration for Ogilvy USA.

In addition to the new structure, Ogilvy also recently announced that the agency is reimagining how it works with clients with the introduction of Ogilvy Delivery -- a modern marketing capability focused on creating a uniform standard of the critical craft skills required to bring big ideas to life across all channels relevant to client business.  For the USA, Kathleen Ryan, previously an operations consultant for Ogilvy globally will serve as interim Chief Delivery Officer – working closely with Worldwide Chief Delivery Officer, Günther Schumacher. Ogilvy will continue to announce updates to how the agency will work in the modern marketing era as part of the Next Chapter strategy.

‪"Identifying a dynamic and diverse leadership team with the right skills and experiences was a key step in my go forward strategy for the USA," said Aversano.  "I am thrilled that each of them have agreed to join me on this journey and am delighted with how they have come together to reaffirm our agency's commitment to make brands matter, grow our business and cultivate the next generation of our leaders."

MEDIA CONTACT:
Jennifer Risi
646-240-6297
[email protected]

ABOUT OGILVY
Ogilvy is one of the largest marketing communications companies in the world. It was named the Cannes Lions Network of the Year for five consecutive years, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016; the EFFIEs World's Most Effective Agency Network in 2012, 2013 and 2016; and Adweek's Global Agency of the Year in 2016. The company is comprised of industry leading units in the following disciplines: advertising; public relations and public affairs; branding and identity; shopper and retail marketing; health care communications; direct, digital, promotion and relationship marketing; consulting, research and analytics; branded content and entertainment; and specialist communications. O&M services Fortune Global 500 companies as well as local businesses through its network of more than 500 offices in 126 countries. It is a WPP company (NASDAQ: WPPGY). For more information, visit http://www.ogilvy.com/, or follow Ogilvy on Twitter at @Ogilvy and on Facebook.com/Ogilvy.

SOURCE Ogilvy

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