McGarryBowen Chicago President and International CEO Tim Scott Departs

McGarryBowen's Tim Scott, international CEO and president of the Chicago office, is leaving the agency. Mr. Scott's departure is the second leadership change in under a month for McGarryBowen. Just two weeks ago, the agency's New York office named Simon Pearce president and chief client officer, succeeding Tom Sewell, who had been in the role since May 2014. (Mr. Sewell continues at the agency in an innovation role.) The agency said Mr. Scott is moving to a client-side position, but that he hasn't named the marketer he is joining. Mr. Scott did not immediately respond to messages left seeking comment. He started at McGarryBowen as managing director in 2009, two years after McGarryBowen opened the Chicago office. [UPDATE: Land O'Lakes on Monday afternoon named Mr. Scott senior VP and chief marketing officer.] McGarryBowen said it will begin a search for a new Chicago president with the added title of chief client officer. Laurel Flatt, who has been group managing director on accounts like Disney, will be interim general manager of the Chicago office while the agency looks for a new leader. "I am grateful and proud of the work Tim has done to build our brand, first in Chicago and then around the world," McGarryBowen Chairman-Chief Creative Officer Gordon Bown said in a statement. "He is a dear friend, trusted leader, and mentor to many. We are very grateful for his contributions, and we wish him a lifetime of luck and success in his future endeavors." For now, Mr. Bowen will assume the international CEO role that Mr. Scott occupied since 2013, when co-founder and international CEO Stewart Owen retired. As international CEO, Mr. Scott has been overseeing the agency's global expansion. During his tenure in that post, the agency last June established a footprint in Brazil by taking over Dentsu Aegis sibling agency Age Isobar, renaming it McGarryBowen Sao Paulo. The Chicago office of McGarryBowen has seen significant account fluctuation in the last nine months, with two key accounts departing. Last July, Pizza Hut moved its creative account from McGarryBowen Chicago to Deutsch LA without a review after less than a year. In February, the agency and Sears parted ways as the ailing retailer was in the midst of a massive holding-company procurement-led review. According to people familiar with that matter, the agency resigned the account after its contract expired and the two couldn't come to an agreement on a new one. The agency, however, did benefit from a Kraft agency consolidation in November in which the company trimmed its agency roster and assigned the creative accounts to McGarryBowen, Leo Burnett, CP&B and Taxi. The future of the Kraft account for all its agencies is unclear; Kraft and Heinz announced a merger in March orchestrated by 3G and Berkshire Hathaway, though it's still too early to tell how the merger will impact agencies. Mr. Scott is well-versed in the packaged-foods world, overseeing accounts like Kraft and Mondelez at McGarryBowen, and other brands like Frito Lay and Wrigley throughout his career. Prior to McGarryBowen, Mr. Scott was at DDB Chicago, where he worked as a global business director. He also had stints at FCB and JWT in Chicago.

McGarryBowen Chicago President and International CEO Tim Scott Departs

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