New Leadership Team Announced At Mindshare North America

NEW YORK, Feb. 24, 2016 /CNW/ -- Mindshare, the global media agency network that is part of WPP's GroupM, today announced new leadership for its North American team covering business in the U.S. and Canada.  Mindshare and GroupM veteran Ernie Simon has been named CEO for Mindshare North America, and two of the agency's highest performers are elevated to new positions in senior leadership with Adam Gerhart named CEO for the United States and Cindy Gustafson named Chief Strategy Officer for the United States. 

Simon most recently served as President of GroupM Consulting where he worked across the group on new and existing business to ensure clients benefitted from the breadth of GroupM's and WPP's resources for the most effective media plans and specialty marketing solutions.  Simon has more than ten years' experience at GroupM, seven of which were spent as part of the Mindshare team, first as Global Strategic Planner and later as Chief Strategy Officer for North America. Simon's long and successful track record with major clients will ensure a seamless transition as he succeeds Colin Kinsella who is leaving for other opportunities.

In their new roles, Gerhart and Gustafson will make a powerful partnership of strategic and digital expertise paired with client-admired leadership, focused on the U.S. marketplace. Gerhart most recently served as the West Coast lead for Mindshare where he drove the strategy and execution of the agency's services with key clients.  In prior capacity at Mindshare Worldwide, he led growth with multinational clients including Nestlé and BP.  Gustafson was most recently the Managing Director of Mindshare NA's Invention Studio, a new division she launched to develop original ideas that weave brands into culture by using media as creative.  Prior, she led business for top Mindshare clients including Unilever and American Express.  

Gustafson and Gerhart join a stellar senior team that includes Renee Milliaressis, Chief Operating Officer, Karen Nayler, CEO for Mindshare Canada; David Pullan, Chief Client Officer; David Lang, Chief Content Officer; David Adelman, Head of Mindshare's Chicago Office; Cindy Giller who heads Atlanta, Lisa Dallenbach, Chief Talent Officer; Wendi Smith, Communications and Content; Jason Maltby and Shari Cohen, Investment Heads; Rolf Olsen, Chief Data Officer, Jennifer Napolitano, who heads new business and Joe Scangamor CFO for North America.

"Mindshare North America is on a roll, having expanded business with General Mills, Unilever and booking.com in 2015. Mindshare is a team game, and we have an incredible bench of talent that have all played crucial roles in this success. We're constantly changing and evolving with our adaptive DNA and core values of speed, teamwork and provocation. We will never rest and will always anticipate and shape our future. These changes elevate several of our most innovative and effective team members and blends great experience with our next generation," said Nick Emery, Global CEO, Mindshare.  "Ernie has made enormous contributions to Mindshare and was one of founders in North America; he has also been a thought leader and a strategic resource to us over the past three years in his capacity at GroupM. Along with Adam and Cindy and the entire North American team, we have a team and structure to lead the market and drive adaptive marketing to the next level."

About Mindshare:

Mindshare is a global media agency network with billings in excess of US $34.5 billion (source: RECMA). The network consists of more than 7,000 employees, in 116 offices across 86 countries spread throughout North America, Latin America, Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific. Each office is dedicated to forging competitive marketing advantage for businesses and their brands based on the values of speed, teamwork and provocation. Mindshare is part of GroupM, which oversees the media investment management sector for WPP, the world's leading communications services group. Visit us at Mindshareusa.com or MindshareInTheLoop.com and follow us on Twitter @Mindshare_NA and facebook.com/MindshareNA.

About GroupM

GroupM is the leading global media investment management company serving as the parent to WPP media agencies including Mindshare, MEC, MediaCom, Maxus, and Essence, as well as the programmatic digital media platform, Xaxis, each global operations in their own right with leading market positions. GroupM's primary purpose is to maximize performance of WPP's media agencies by operating as leader and collaborator in trading, content creation, sports, digital, finance, proprietary tool development and other business-critical capabilities. GroupM's focus is to deliver unrivaled marketplace advantage to its clients, stakeholders and people. 

Discover more about GroupM at www.groupm.com. Follow @GroupMWorldwide on Twitter. Follow GroupM on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/groupm

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SOURCE GroupM