Agency.com Loses CEO
After difficult year, David Eastman relinquishes his post to take over a newly created position within Agency.com. Chairman Suh returns to CEO spot.
After a tumultuous year that saw the loss of several key executives under his purview, Agency.com CEO David Eastman is leaving his post, and will instead run Agency.com’s international expansion, in the new position of president, international.
Chan Suh, Agency.com’s chairman and co-founder, will step into the CEO role on an interim basis. The switch will officially take place tomorrow, May 1.
Eastman was previously managing director of Agency.com’s London office and had moved to New York seven months ago, but will move back to London for his new position. Sources within Agency.com have told ClickZ that Eastman had a difficult time as CEO as his management style differed from his American employees’ expectations.
Agency.com has seen numerous changes since its reorganization within parent company Omnicom’s TBWA network. In the past year, Agency.com lost the directors for both its San Francisco and New York offices, as well as its CFO and the director of its Dallas office. Eastman took over the CEO post from Don Scales who left early last year citing “strategic differences,” and moved to iCrossing. Scales had originally replaced Suh at the top spot.
Since the new year, the agency had also lost executives to rival AKQA and accounts to Publicis-owned Digitas. Agency.com also lost its New York Executive Creative Director Tom Ajello who was then replaced by Mat Zucker from Interpublic’s R/GA. Agency also promoted Scott Briskman to executive creative director in San Francisco.
Agency.com has continued a strategy of international expansion over the last year, opening offices in Rome and Shanghai. Eastman’s exact duties in his new role have not been detailed by the company.
