Kasha Cacy, U.S. CEO of Interpublic Group of Cos.-owned media agency UM, has been tapped as global CEO of marketing solutions company Engine.
Cacy will oversee Engine's 17 offices across North America, the U.K., Europe and Asia-Pacific. She will be based in Engine's New York headquarters and report to Engine Executive Chairman Paul Caine. Cacy will take over the new role beginning September 4.
Engine Group announced in July it was rebranding in the U.S. to become Engine. It also restructured so that digital agency Deep Focus, business intelligence firm ORC International and media agency Engine Media would sit under one brand as Engine. The company's creative agency Trailer Park maintains its brand name.
Cacy, who joined UM in 2007 and became president of its U.S. business in 2014, was named to Ad Age's list of Women to Watch in 2017. Prior to UM, she worked at McCann Erickson, Ogilvy, Cheil Communications, Wunderman, and Accenture.
Cacy told Ad Age the new gig uses all of her industry experience — in consulting, direct marketing, advertising, digital, data, content and media.
Cacy said she felt Engine is trying to break down typical agency silos and rethink the ways products and offerings come together. "At the end of the day, I'm very much a product person and I love building new products for clients," she said. "It felt like this was was a place where I'd have the opportunity to cut across the different companies and create a different suite of products and services in a new way."
In an internal memo to UM employees, global CEO Daryl Lee said Cacy had made an "extraordinary impact upon our organization, our success and our culture."
Lee said in her time after joining, Cacy helped spearhead a new business track record for clients including the U.S. Postal Service and Hershey that helped put UM "back on the map as a global player."
"Kasha is a rare leader," he wrote. "She is both analytical and intuitive, practical and inspirational, decisive and empathetic. We will miss her as a leader, and our friends and colleagues at IPG Mediabrands will miss her as a partner. As will I."
UM is expected to name a replacement for Cacy in the coming months.
The news of Cacy's appointment was first reported Monday evening by the Wall Street Journal.
