The folks at Cheil have announced that after three years at the helm as CEO of the holding company’s North American operations, Buz Sawyer is leaving come end of 2013. The soon-to-be ex-chief exec will not be replaced as Cheil-owned agencies McKinney and The Barbarian Group will take on growth/development efforts in the U.S. In a statement, Sawyer, who also spent several years as managing director of W+K New York (marking his second stint at the agency) along the way, says, “Cheil remains committed to transformation on a global scale and market-by-market,” said Sawyer. “I’m pleased to have helped put the network on the path to long-term growth and competitiveness in the US, Mexico, Canada, and in South America, and wish Cheil continued success. I’m expanding my role at Hyper Island beyond board chairman to strategic development adviser as the company builds towards exponential growth, and I’ll be consulting with creative people and businesses seeking to embrace change driven by tomorrow’s transformative technology.”
You may recall that Sawyer took on a strategic development post at Sweden-based digital school Hyper Island in summer 2010. During his long career in the ad biz, the departing CEO also spent time at Lowe Lintas and BBDO.