Yep, the man looking rather dapper is Matt Freeman, former Tribal DDB CEO who is now assuming the title of global chief innovation officer at McCann Erickson. In a statement, Freeman, who will report to McCann Worldgroup chairman/CEO Nick Brien, says, “The chance to partner with Nick and [creative lead] Linus [Karlsson] and to help write the next chapter of McCann Erickson was simply too exciting to ignore. As the cycles of innovation in media and marketing have become more rapid, agencies have the opportunity to address a much broader set of business challenges for clients. McCann Erickson has the heritage, global scale, amazing talent and multi-national client footprint to reinvent the business relationships agencies have with clients amid the explosion of opportunities in our digital age.”
Freeman joined IPG in January 2010 and became CEO of Mediabrands Ventures, which is undergoing its own shift. Among the changes are an increased role of IPG Lab at Mediabrands, a reorganization of its operating units and investment in the development of ad exchange, The Audience Platform.