Robert LePlae Tapped for Global Post at Arnold

Nearly a year after departing Interpublic Group of Cos.' McCann, Robert LePlae is headed to Havas' Arnold , where he'll be responsible for furthering the agency's global expansion plans.

Starting in mid-September, Mr. LePlae will serve in the new post of global president, reporting to Arnold Global CEO and Chief Strategy Officer of Havas Creative Andrew Benett. Said Mr. Benett in a statement: "The addition of Robert will bring increased focus and support for our growth initiatives as well as help maximize and advance our international expansion. He's an extremely well respected, accomplished agency leader who brings global expertise and a wealth of management experience to our global network."

It's a big change for the longtime West Coaster; Mr. LePlae will be relocating to split his time between Arnold 's Boston and New York offices.

Mr. LePlae spent the bulk of his career at Omnicom Group's TBWA/Chiat Day, in various roles, including a stint in Tokyo where he worked on the agency's joint venture with Japanese shop Hakuhodo. But most recently, he spent time at McCann, where he was responsible for McCann Erickson's domestic offices and Canadian operations, and also oversaw independent brands under the McCann umbrella such as TwoFifteenMcCann and Gotham .

Ad Age reported his exit from McCann nearly a year ago, as part of a fast and furious churn of talent in the senior ranks under current McCann Worldgroup CEO Nick Brien.

Now Mr. LePlae's remit will be a broader one geographically. The agency has been focused on expanding its footprint in the past couple of years, which has yielded a string of mergers and acquisitions with local shops abroad, and new outposts in places such as Moscow, Prague, Lisbon and Melbourne. He'll also be tasked with focusing on the growth of Arnold 's global businesses, which include marketers like Unilever, Volvo, Jack Daniel's , Dell and Hershey.

Said Havas' global CEO David Jones in a statement: "Arnold has experienced amazing growth over the last two years in addition to creating a first-class digital capability and opening in new markets...adding Robert will further strengthen the leadership in preparation for the next phase of growth."