Tor Myhren Promoted to President of Grey New York

NEW YORK, Dec. 10, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- James R. Heekin III, Chairman and CEO of Grey Group, today announced the promotion of Tor Myhren, 38, to President of Grey New York.  He remains Chief Creative Officer, reporting to Heekin, and becomes the first creative person ever to lead the agency's flagship office.

"This well-deserved promotion, coming as we close the best year in Grey New York's history, recognizes the pivotal role Tor has played in our successful revitalization and opens a new chapter in our emergence as an industry leader," Jim Heekin said.  "Together, we have transformed our talent ranks, creative product, digital prowess and new business fortunes.  Grey's momentum as a 'Famously Effective' agency speaks for itself."

Grey's Record Performance

Over the past two years, Grey New York has won 33 out of 37 pitches, over $1 billion in new business billings, from such blue-chip clients as the NFL, DirecTV, Red Lobster, T.J. Maxx, Bausch & Lomb, Sargento Foods, Mayflower/United Van Lines, Allianz, America's Natural Gas Alliance and TruTV, along with major new assignments from GSK, Boehringer-Ingelheim, Procter & Gamble, Eli Lilly and Diageo.

Under Tor Myhren's leadership, Grey has produced such world-class advertising as the ETrade Baby, the most talked about Super Bowl campaign in the US; Ellen DeGeneres for CoverGirl, the number one cosmetics brand in America; DirecTV's Russian oligarch; the NFL' s first integrated campaign, a Cannes Lion winner, and Canon's "Beyond the Still", an Internet sensation.

In 2010, Grey New York was named to FAST COMPANY's "World's 50 Most Innovative Companies" list; ADVERTISING AGE's A-LIST of the best agencies in the business and its transformation was the subject of an ADWEEK cover story, "Red Hot Grey."

"Grey has been around for 93 years.  Change is in our DNA.  A creative guy becoming President is just the next evolution of our culture," said Tor Myhren.  "We're a big agency that acts small.  We solve problems quickly and move at the speed of culture.  That's the only way to stay relevant and succeed."

As President and Chief Creative Officer of Grey New York, Myhren will continue to drive the agency's creative vision, be responsible for all creative development and be an integral member of the new business team.  Additionally, he will oversee the office's Operating Group, with Jim Heekin, and work even more closely with clients.

Tor Myhren: Digital Innovator

Tor Myhren joined Grey New York as Chief Creative Officer in 2007.  He was chosen for the elite CREATIVITY 50 list, honoring the most creative minds of 2010, and CRAIN'S BUSINESS "40 Under 40" list this year.

Earlier, he served as Executive Creative Director of Leo Burnett Detroit for three years overseeing the General Motors business, spearheading the famous Oprah car giveaway and "The Apprentice" episode that sold out a year's supply of the Pontiac Solstice in 41 minutes.  He has also served as a Creative Director at TBWA/Chiat/Day and was a founding member of Wongdoody, both in Los Angeles.

A winner of nearly every major creative award in the industry, Myhren's work in digital, branded entertainment and content and experiential branding has added a new dimension to Grey's creativity.

His first feature-length film, "City Lax: An Urban Lacrosse Story" aired on ESPN this year and won the Grand Jury Prize for Best Documentary at the Sonoma International Film Festival.

Myhren graduated with a BA in English from Occidental College in Los Angeles and played varsity basketball.

About Grey

Grey New York is the flagship and largest office of Grey, 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, J.M. Smucker and T.J. Maxx.  FAST COMPANY named Grey to "The World's 50 Most Innovative Companies" list in 2010.  (www.grey.com)

SOURCE Grey

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