Shane Ginsberg, senior VP of corporate development at the digital agency Organic, is joining sibling digital shop Evolution Bureau as president, effective March 3.
EVB's current president, James Gassel, will become chief operating officer and oversee account services, operations and project management departments.
The shift comes as EVB and Organic parent Omnicom plans to merge with rival holding company Publicis Groupe. The appointment of someone like Mr. Ginsberg signals an aggressive new-business strategy for San Francisco-based creative agency EVB.
But Mr. Ginsberg also joins EVB during a strong period. The shop was first among the standout "next in line" agencies in Ad Age's Agency A-List honors last year and touts a string of recent account wins, including JCPenney, Samsung, Peet's Coffee & Tea, Del Monte and Kraft.
"EVB started as a production shop, but it's transitioned to a full-fledged agency with an emphasis on strategic planning and account services as much as on the creative product," Mr. Ginsberg said.
"I've seen that maturity in Steve and James, and with Daniel's magnetism the four of us are an amazing combination," he added, referring to Executive Creative Director Steve Babcock, Mr. Gassel and CEO and founder Daniel Stein.
"Shane's experience and leadership will definitely help take the agency to the next level," Mr. Stein said in a statement. "His personality is a perfect fit for the shop. He'll add as much to its culture as he will to its bottom line."
Mr. Ginsberg will be tasked with building on the agency's momentum and "helping structure the shop for continued growth beyond its digital roots," according to the statement. He'll also focus on talent development.
He joined Organic's San Francisco office in 1994. He left in 1996 to co-found an agency called Plastic and sold it to Razorfish in 1998, staying on to lead client services. He then moved on to AKQA San Francisco before returning to Organic eight years ago.
"We're happy for Shane and glad he's taking on a new role in the Omnicom family," said Organic CEO David Shulman in a statement. "We've recently restructured our business development team, with Tracy Richards leading the way as Organic's first-ever Chief Marketing Officer. Tracy is relentlessly focused on growth opportunities in both existing client relationships and new markets."
