Hat tip to our own Bob Marshall for the note regarding the BBDO NY tweet above, which basically explains it all. Denny Haley, in case you were wondering, was a 21-year BBDO vet who eventually took on the dual roles of CCO and president/CEO at the MN office once Bob Thacker resigned back in 2004 (FYI, Thacker eventually came out of retirement a year later to serve as SVP, marketing at OfficeMax and is now working for a nonprofit organization in Chicago). Anyhow, as the tweet says, Haley’s successor is Neil White, who’s been serving an SVP at BBDO Minneapolis for three years. Prior to BBDO, White held account director posts at the likes of BBDO Canada and JWT.
Update: Well, here’s more from the BBDO camp. It’s not an immediate departure as Haley will be transitioning his workload over the next few months and White actually won’t take over until early next year. The new BBDO Minneapolis boss will be aided in his soon-to-be new role by the office’s ECD, Brian Kroening.
Regarding Haley’s resignation, Troy Ruhanen, BBDO chairman, the Americas, says in a statement, “This has been a difficult decision for all. No one wants to see Denny leave. But if there is anyone who has earned the right to retire on a high, it is Denny. For more than 20 years, he has poured his heart and soul into BBDO and its clients, helping to grow our Minneapolis office. He leaves BBDO on a high, and we are fortunate to have someone of Neil’s caliber to succeed him. We wish Denny all the best of luck…knowing, of course, he will still only be a phone call away.”