Mediabrands looks to global network to fill Reprise CEO role
IPG Mediabrands digital agency, Reprise has hired from within to fill the CEO position vacated by Maria Grivas earlier this year, naming current Initiative New York head of audiences and activation, Jessica White, as the agency’s new chief executive.
Grivas departure was announced in April this year, after one year with the Mediabrands agency, as she was named the CEO success of Katie Rigg-Smith at Group M’s Mindshare.
White steps into the CEO on 1 November, reporting directly to Mediabrands Australia CEO Mark Coad and taking an immediate place on the group’s executive leadership team.
Coad said he had some incredible conversations with talent from across the globe from both inside and outside the IPG network and was delighted to find that one of the best global performance experts was already within the group and keen to return to Australia, accept a new challenge and lead the agency to success.
He commented: “We’re thrilled to have appointed Jessica. A leader who knows Reprise’s vision as an agency and has the skills and capabilities to stimulate client growth by using the perfect mix of insight and technology to create innovative and best-in-class work.”
On her appointment, White said: “Increasingly I hear clients wanting more accountability for their media spend, so better connecting media to business outcomes will be an area of focus. In partnership with our agencies, Reprise is uniquely positioned to drive the brand and performance cohesion needed to achieve this.
“It’s an exciting time to be in the industry and I can’t wait to develop my team’s skills and capabilities to deliver truly outstanding work for our clients,” she concluded.
While Grivas was initially set to join Mindshare in October, Mumbrella understands that she left Reprise officially in July this year, with Andy Holford stepping in as interim-CEO.
“Andy has made a profound impact on the Reprise business both internally and with our clients helping to evolve the agency’s capabilities, accelerating clients’ success through performance marketing via Reprise’s e-commerce capability and relaunching its analytics division,” said Coad.
“He is a wonderful leader who has successfully enhanced Reprise’s culture leading his team and clients to success, but he made it clear to us as we embarked on the search for Jessica that his passion lay in building product and solutions for clients, rather than management.”
Holford said: “I am delighted Jessica is joining Reprise, as a leader I just know she is going to shine and under her watch Reprise will continue to go from strength to strength. The business is pumping; the team are enthused and the clients are enjoying some truly wonderful work. I look forward to spending the next few months working alongside Jess as we transition into a new era of Reprise’s history.”
White’s appointment sees her head up the agency’s more than 150 digital and performance experts across offices in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth.
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topics
Andy Holford
Group M
IPG Mediabrands
Jessica White
Katie Rigg-Smith
Maria Grivas
Mark Coad
Reprise Australia
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