Two big appointments were announced yesterday. The first concerns Lindsay Pattison of the WPP media agency Maxus, the smallest of the media agencies within GroupM, the division of WPP that oversees media, also overseeing MEC, MediaCom and Mindshare. Pattison has been promoted from the role of Maxus UK CEO to global chief, replacing Vikram Sakhuja, who will remain in a currently undisclosed position at GroupM. In a statement the company said that under Sakhuja, “Maxus was the fastest growing agency in the world,” expanding its network footprint and adding “Major new accounts such as NBC Universal and L'Oreal.” The move arrives just five months after the agency recruited fellow UK native Steve Williams to succeed Louis Jones as North American CEO. Williams had previously served as president at Omnicom's PHD and as CEO of OMD UK.
Lindsay Pattison has been promoted from the role of Maxus UK CEO to global chief
Under Pattison, Maxus UK grew from 30 to 250 staffers within five years. She's also held the role of global chief strategy officer for the last two years. GroupM global president Dominic Proctor, who Pattison will be reporting to in her new role working in both London and New York, said that Pattison has “A proven reputation as a leader and is held with enormous regard both internally and by her clients." He feels that she “Exemplifies the spirit and ambition of the Maxus culture,” and is “Confident she will take the network into the next stage of growth.” Her current role at Maxus UK will be filled by agency MD Nick Baughan, who'll continue to report to Pattison. Pattison said that “Maxus have a mantra to lean into change,” and to “Lead change” for their clients, “Navigating the complexity and embracing the possibilities offered in a digitalised, mobile, always-on media landscape.” She said that it's an “Incredibly exciting time to lead a media agency,” this media agency in particular.
Lindsay Pattison – Maxus on Retaining Talent
Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, Publicis Ambience has announced the promotion of Paritosh Srivastava to chief operating officer. Srivastava, who joined the agency in May 2011 as head of the Mumbai office, will continue to report to South Asia CEO Nakul Chopra and will join the Publicis Worldwide management board in India. Chopra called this a “Well-deserved promotion,” which follows three years in which he said Srivastava led Publicis Ambience admirably. He adds that the “The improvement in talent and quality has been remarkable,” and feels that “With further empowerment in his new role,” he has no doubt that the new COO “Will take Publicis Ambience to new heights.”
Publicis Ambience has announced the promotion of Paritosh Srivastava to COO
Srivastava himself says it is “A privilege to lead an agency with the legacy of Publicis Ambience,” and extends hi gratitude “To the fantastic team,” who has each helped put them on a tremendous growth path. He believes and agency’s success can only follow that of their clients, and it will be his “Constant endeavour to continually strive to meet and exceed client expectations.” In a joint statement, Bobby Pawar and Partha Sinha, director and chief creative officer and chief strategy officer for Publicis South Asia respectively, called Srivastava “A champion of great work,” who is “Ready to push boundaries and rally around great work both internally and externally.” He feels that this, “Coupled with his energy and charm makes him a great leader,” and they are “Delighted that he is getting bigger responsibilities and being entrusted with furthering the Publicis agenda in India.”
Official Publicis Worldwide Website
Benjamin Hiorns is a freelance writer and musician from Kidderminster in the UK.
