UM, the global media agency network of IPG Mediabrands, has tapped Joe DeMiero as the newest U.S. CEO. He takes over the role from Lynn Lewis, who moves to global chief marketing officer of Mediabrands. 

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Effective immediately, DeMiero will be responsible for U.S. strategy, direction and operations for the 11th largest media agency in the world, according to the Ad Age Datacenter. He will report directly to UM Global CEO Eileen Kiernan and oversee management for the agency’s U.S. clients, including USPS, E.J. Gallo, Rocket Mortgage, Zillow and more.  

One-to-one relationships

“UM is constantly iterating, innovating and challenging the industry on critical issues in order to drive impact for its people and clients,” DeMiero said in a statement. “I could not be more excited to join this incredibly connected community and leadership team at a time when the agency is experiencing great growth and success.”

He added: “We have the opportunity to continue bringing together the necessary capabilities to build one-to-one relationships of worth between brands and consumers, at every moment of the journey."

DeMeiro comes to Mediabrands from Publicis Groupe's Hawkeye, where he was CEO working with clients such as Google, AT&T, USAA and Capital One. While at Hawkeye, he founded TiltShift, the holding company's immersive reality capability, and CloudTix, the first software-as-a-service mobile ticketing platform. Prior to that he had leadership positions at Saatchi & Saatchi and SapientRazorfish.

Catherine Benison, CEO of Select Resources International, worked with DeMiero in his past role at Hawkeye and says he is a dynamic and strong leader. “He seemed to be making a significant impact at that shop,” she added.

Driving media performance

Lewis retains her role as UM's global CMO while adding the position of Mediabrands global CMO, reporting to Mediabrands Global CEO Daryl Lee.

“It is an exciting and critical time for media, with our clients looking for best-in-class partnership to navigate an increasingly complex marketplace to grow their businesses,” Lewis said in a statement. "I’m invigorated by the opportunity to work closely with Daryl and the entire Mediabrands leadership team to help shape the network’s next chapter.”

Greg Paull, co-founder of R3, believes both roles are positive moves for Mediabrands, saying DeMiero’s CRM background will help Interpublic Group of Cos. drive media performance. “IPG still has the highest concentration of revenue in the U.S. among all the holding companies,” he said. “Lynn’s new role will allow her the opportunity to expand their business reach in critical markets such as China, Europe and Japan.”

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The new appointments follow other key leadership announcements, including the elevation of Jeff Marshall to U.S. chief diversity officer and Stacey Stewart as the newly created U.S. chief marketplace officer. The agency has also won new clients such as Enterprise Holdings, Tonal, Storck USA, Behr Paint and NYC & Company.