Wunderman's Shulman to Replace CEO Scarfi at Organic

Organic has grabbed Wunderman President David Shulman to become its next CEO. The well-rounded digital agency exec will replace long-time Organic chief Marita Scarfi.

Shulman has been with Wunderman since 2010, and has held stints at Digitas and now-defunct agency Enfatico. Shulman also has client-side experience as brand strategy manager at Ford-owned Jaguar, according to his LinkedIn page.

“David has been on the client side at Ford, the digital side at Digitas, the CRM-focused side at Wunderman…and he’s got global experience in that mix,” said Organic founder and Omnicom Digital CEO Jonathan Nelson, who described Shulman as “super high energy.” Shulman starts with Organic August 1 and will be based in New York.

Scarfi will assist in the transition through mid-August, planning to move on to “to pursue other interests,” according to Organic. She has been with Organic since the early days, starting with the digital agency in 1996, when she served as CFO and COO. In 2010, Scarfi was named CEO of Organic, part of Omnicom-owned BBDO Worldwide.

“Of course it’s bittersweet to see Marita go,” said Nelson. “She’s been there for a long time; she’s a veteran. There are very few people who can point back to a 15-year career at the same company.”

At first, Nelson said he anticipates Shulman doing what most new CEOs do, talking to the team and meeting with clients. He also said he expects Shulman to do lots of globetrotting to meet clients on their turf. “Clients tap Organic to do all kinds of work and global is a component,” said Nelson.

Organic clients include Hilton Worldwide, Intel, Pepsi, Procter & Gamble, Intel, and Visa.