Young & Rubicam has overhauled its global media network, the Media
Edge, in a move that sees the network’s president, Paul Woolmington,
become vice-chairman and chief strategic officer.
Beth Gordon, previously head of the Media Edge North America, takes over
as chairman and chief executive of the network. She will now be
responsible for the entire global network.
An official statement from Y&R states that the management reshuffle
follows the decision to combine the domestic and international
operations of the Media Edge into a single global organisation with
billings of more than dollars 10 billion.
However, the Media Edge has positioned itself as a global entity for
some time.
Unlike many media networks, it launched first in the US, taking on the
business of Y&R’s in-house media department. Woolmington’s job was to
roll the brand out around the world, which began in earnest last autumn
when the company announced that it was to merge all its worldwide media
operations under a single banner.
This latest move reiterates that aim.
Graham Phillips, the chairman of Y&R, said that by combining the US and
international media operations, the company was able to match its
clients’ communications requirements around the world.
’Increasingly, clients need top-level media thinking and service, as
well as considerable clout everywhere on the globe,’ he explained.
Gordon added: ’By bringing our operations under one roof, we can better
leverage all our capabilities and more easily replicate our best
practices around the world.’
