CHICAGO (AdAge.com) -- Havas' Euro RSCG has named veteran ad executive Ron Bess its North American president, filling a post that's been open since Esther Lee departed the agency 10 months ago.
Mr. Bess will be charged with keeping the network on a growth track. According to Ad Age estimates, Euro's 2008 U.S. revenue climbed 5.5%, to $342.7 million.
Mr. Bess founded Bayer Bess Vanderwarker, a Chicago agency best remembered for its iconic Gatorade work. The shop was ultimately acquired by FCB Worldwide, which Mr. Bess later led as president. As a managing director of Needham Harper & Steers (now DDB Worldwide), he led the agency's McDonald's account and was instrumental in luring Budweiser to the agency. He also served as CEO of Y&R, New York, prior to joining Euro as CEO of its then-struggling Chicago office, which has grown in recent years thanks to a mix of above and below-the-line work for the likes of Sprint Nextel, Kraft, Valspar Paints and the now-shuttered Circuit City.
"Ron has done a fantastic job for us over the past five years, building Chicago's fastest growing major agency, driving our digital at the core strategy and contributing to a very good year for North America in 2008," Mr. Jones said in a statement. "This is really recognition of the role he has been playing for the last 12 months."
Mr. Bess will fill a leadership void left by Ms. Lee, a former Coca-Cola executive who left the agency last September after barely a year at the helm because of what insiders called a poor "cultural fit." She has since resurfaced at AT&T, where she oversees brand marketing, creative and media strategy.
