President Luis DeAnda Leaves TBWA\Chiat\Day L.A.

By Patrick Coffee 

Today TBWA\Chiat\Day confirmed that Luis DeAnda–who had been president of its Los Angeles offices for two years–will soon be leaving the agency.

A statement from the TBWA organization:

“Luis has been with the TBWA network for over 14 years, and in his two years as President of TBWA\Chiat\Day LA, he has confidently steered the agency through an exciting and evolutionary period. We are extremely grateful for his leadership, his compassion, and his ceaseless efforts to propel us forward. We are certain that great success will follow Luis wherever he goes, and wish him the very best in his next chapter.”

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It’s unclear why DeAnda was let go, though one tipster describes his departure as “unceremonious.” We hear that he has not been active in the office in recent weeks and that the news became official only after he returned from a recent vacation.

This news follows last week’s post regarding a restructuring in the L.A. office that primarily affected the production department; according to our tip line, the number of staffers dismissed in that move was in the low double digits.

DeAnda spent more than 14 years with the global TBWA organization, including nearly 3 years as chief operating officer of its Tokyo unit TBWA\HAKUHODO and a stint at Media Arts Lab. He returned to the States in 2012, became general manager of the L.A. office and eventually replaced president Carisa Bianchi, who left to become CMO of the embattled medical testing startup Theranos. Earlier in his career, he worked in accounts at Publicis.

DeAnda was not the only TBWA employee let go in the latest round of restructuring in Los Angeles. An agency spokesperson said a very small number of employees left this week in a move that was not related to the production restructuring or DeAnda’s departure.

We also hear that TBWA\Chiat\Day L.A. will make more executive-level staffing announcements in coming weeks. They will presumably include news regarding DeAnda’s replacement.

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