Digital Marketing People on the Move: April 2015 Roundup

This is a roundup of new hires and promotions in the digital marketing industry during April of 2015.

This past April was a big month for major brands and agencies, as many made leadership changes, including Kellogg, McCann Worldgroup, and DDB Canada.

Wendy’s CMO Joins Kellogg

Kellogg has named Craig Bahner president of the company’s U.S. morning foods division.

Bahner joins Kellogg from Wendy’s, where he served as chief marketing officer (CMO), spearheading all brand building, marketing, and culinary innovation efforts for the company. Prior to that, he held a variety of key leadership positions at Procter & Gamble.

Along with this appointment, Paul Norman has been named president of Kellogg North America.

sean-macdonaldMcCann Worldgroup Names Sean MacDonald Global Chief Digital Officer

McCann Worldgroup has appointed Sean MacDonald as chief digital officer. He will be based in New York City.

Previously, MacDonald spent nearly a decade at Ogilvy where he most recently served as managing director of Emerging Ventures.

Over the years, he has held senior positions at a number of digitally focused companies, building digital strategy teams as well as designing creative digital and social programs for major brands, including Coca-Cola, American Express, DuPont, Nestlé, Cisco, and BP.

ddb-lancesaundersLeadership Changes at DDB Canada

SDDB has promoted Lance Saunders to national president and chief operating officer (COO). Saunders was executive vice president (EVP) and managing director of DDB Canada’s Vancouver office and will succeed David Leonard in his new role. He will be based in Toronto.

With more than 30 years of experience in the advertising industry, Saunders joined DDB from Campbell Mithun in 2010 where he served as EVP and director of strategic planning. Prior to that, he spent two decades at Leo Burnett in Toronto as senior vice president, managing partner, and planning director.

Along with this appointment, Patty Jones and Michelle Kitchen have been promoted to executive vice president (EVP), co-managing directors of DDB Canada Vancouver, and Melanie Johnston has been promoted to president of DDB Canada Toronto.

trixiefergusongrayTrixie Ferguson Gray to Lead Content Strategy at MediaCom

MediaCom has appointed Trixie Ferguson Gray as senior partner of branded content and experiences. In this newly created role, she will spearhead content strategy, custom program development, and activation for clients across MediaCom. She will report to Mark Fortner, managing partner and head of innovation.

Previously, Ferguson Gray worked for Maxus, a GroupM sister agency, where she led insights, creative strategy, and media ideation for NBCUniversal, UPS, and other brands. Prior to that, she served as vice president, experience architect, and was a member of the content and experiences team at UM.

An advertising veteran, Ferguson Gray has won a number of industry awards, including MinOnline Sweet 16 Integrated Marketer of the Year in 2010 and 2012, as well as a Cannes Media Lion Shortlist nomination and a Bronze Effie.

stephen-liStephen Li to Be New OMD Asia-Pacific CEO

OMD has appointed Stephen Li as its Asia-Pacific chief executive (CEO). Li will replace the agency’s current CEO Steve Blakeman, who will be relocating to OMD in London to serve in a senior global role.

Li will join OMD from MEC, where he is currently the regional CEO for Asia-Pacific. With more than two decades of experience in advertising, media, and marketing communications, Li held senior roles with Batey and Lowe, and WPP’s team HSBC in the region. He moved to the media side of the business with MEC in 2005.

Homepage image via Shutterstock.

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