Michael Harris has been named president of the Wilton, CT headquarters of Marketing Drive Worldwide as Chris Barr and Kathryn Benedett leave the agency at the end of this month.
Harris keeps his post as president of Marketing Drive’s Boston office, and will oversee both offices as Marketing Drive pushes to collaborate more closely with sibling shops under parent Interpublic Group of Cos. Craig Millon steps up as acting general manager of the Boston office, where he has been chief growth officer.
Barr and Benedett have been co-CEOs of the Wilton office since 2001; IPG bought their retail-promotion consultancy BBG in 1999 and folded it into Marketing Drive.
Harris is better suited than Barr and Benedett to foster collaboration with IPG siblings as part of IPG’s efforts to spur organic growth inside the network, said Marketing Drive CEO Dean Buresh. British-born Harris is “more of a globalist by background,” with international experience that includes work at Marketing Drive’s U.K. arm, Buresh said. “We’re trying to put more people in place to work with [IPG offices] worldwide.”
Marketing Drive also is consolidating financial functions in its New York office, eliminating three posts in Wilton. Those staffers are expected to leave by the end of February. The changes don’t affect client-service staff, Buresh said.
Marketing Drive ranked No. 62 in the 2005 PROMO 100 with estimated 2004 net revenues of $59 million, down an estimated 31% from 2002.
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