Kristen Cavallo, chief strategy officer at Mullen Boston, has been promoted to president at the office, a post that's been empty since Alex Leikikh was named CEO at the Interpublic Group of Cos. shop last December.

Ms. Cavallo expands the group of top female executives at major Boston agencies, including Hill Holliday CEO Karen Kaplan, Arnold Global President Pam Hamlin and Barbara Goose, president for Boston and Detroit at DigitasLBi. That's an anomaly in an industry that frequently laments the lack of women in top positions.

Ms. Cavallo said she plans to focus in part on talent within the agency. "We have to prioritize growth, but also really just remind the people that work here that they are our best case studies," she said. "We ask a lot of people. My job is to be their fuel."

Mr. Leikikh compared Ms. Cavallo in a statement to Bo Jackson, the former professional baseball and football player, for her work in varied agency functions. She started her agency career at Mullen in 1994, working on BMW and Timberland, the agency said. After 13 years at The Martin Agency in planning and development, she rejoined Mullen in 2011.

Mullen's clients include Zappos, JetBlue and Acura.