The Starcom UK chief executive, Linda Smith, has restructured the senior management of the Publicis-owned agency and is looking to appoint a strategic planning director.
Smith has reorganised the agency around five divisions: Trading, Starcom Mediavest, Starcom, Starcom International and the newly created Strategic Planning.
Smith has also made a series of appointments to run each new division.
She has promoted the client services director, Avril Gallagher, to client managing director. Stewart Easterbrook, previously the operations director for Starcom Mediavest, has been promoted to client managing director, with responsibility for Starcom in the UK.
Andy Roberts, the managing partner for the EMEA region, will now become the client managing director, while Chris Locke, the group trading director, has been promoted to UK trading director.
Locke's responsibilities for buying across both Starcom and Mediavest will be unaffected by his new title.
Smith said the agency is close to appointing a strategic planning director and is interviewing internal and external candidates.
The job includes responsibility for research and overseeing planning, insight, new business and econometrics.
The restructure comes almost five months after Smith succeeded Iain Jacob as the UK chief executive. Jacob was promoted at the end of 2005 to become the chief executive of Starcom Mediavest EMEA.
Nigel Foote's role as the managing partner for EMEA and the head of Starcom's Strategic Intelligence Unit is unaffected by the creation of the new planning division. His department will sit inside the new division.
Smith confirmed there will be no job losses, but said staff will be moved to fit into the new structure. She said: "The new set-up puts the focus firmly on clients and planning back on the agenda."
- Comment, page 52.
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