NEW YORK A veteran of the Chicago ad scene, he is described by current and former colleagues as talented, charismatic, no-nonsense and at times impatient. Meet Mark Figliulo, TBWA\Chiat\Day's choice to lead its New York creative department.

The Pratt graduate also is a craftsman with a keen eye for design. On his watch as chief creative officer at Young & Rubicam in Chicago, the shop has won seven Cannes Lions since 2005 -- fourth best among U.S. agencies during that period, and equal to the total count for TBWA\C\D's New York office.

"He's very talented, so he deserves every bit of success," said Y&R worldwide CEO Hamish McLennan, who further described Figliulo as being good with clients and adhering to consistently high standards.

With the deal not done by press time, TBWA and Figliulo aren't talking, but sources expect the architecture buff to sign a contract this week to become chairman and chief creative officer of TBWA\C\D in New York. He became the agency's top candidate on the strength of his reel -- which includes visually driven work for big-box retailer Sears, the 2003 human "Dominoes" spot for Miller Brewing Co. and the short-lived but darkly humorous "Get help" campaign for H&R Block -- as well as the belief that he can be more than just a creative leader at the Omnicom shop.

In fact, sources expect the 45-year-old to assume primary oversight of the $300 million office. As such, his role will be broader than that of former executive creative director Gerry Graf, who left last month to become CCO of Saatchi & Saatchi in New York.

Historically, the office has been seen as a stepchild to its larger and more accomplished counterpart in Playa del Rey, Calif., where global creative chief Lee Clow reigns. "It's stable, it's bigger and [its broad client roster] eliminates a lot of pitching" opportunities, said a source. "You always feel like you're the punk sister."

Turnover in top management and the client roster also have taken a toll in New York. Since 1998, the office has had six top suits and five creative chiefs and now finds itself in rebuild mode following the loss of top client Sprint Nextel last year. Its head count hovers around 200 (including the healthcare unit) and top clients include Mars, Absolut and Beiersdorf.

The good news is that New York in recent years has developed a buzzworthy reel, thanks largely to quirky and irreverent work for Mars brands such as Skittles, Combos and Snickers under Graf and the team he assembled. "He seemed to establish creative credibility for that office," said one executive.

Figliulo, who had worked at Y&R since November 1999, led a department of about 30 there and, in a secondary role of managing partner, which he added in 2001, shared management duties with president and CEO Kerry McIlwain.

That office also has experienced its share of client erosion, with the loss of Nascar in 2003, Orbitz in 2006 and Miller Chill in February, but has held onto and grown its Sears business and remains on Miller's roster, handling the Miller Genuine Draft brand. Sears consolidated all its ad duties at the shop in 2005, after years of splitting the business between Y&R and Ogilvy & Mather.

"He showed his mettle when he would have to fight one on one" with Ogilvy, said Jim Ferguson, former CCO at Y&R in New York. "The guy just came back and battled."

Figliulo, who is married with two sons, joined Y&R after a year of directing and 12 years at Leo Burnett. He moved to Y&R as longtime Chicago creative chiefs Mike Faems and Tom Shortlidge were retiring and the agency was in need of a jolt, recalled Howard Breen, then president of the shop.

"Mark was one of the best hires I ever made," said Breen, now chairman and CEO of Interpublic Group's MacLaren McCann Canada in Toronto. "He was just creative right down to his soles. What made him different from other creatives was that he had a really smart, on-the-street business acumen."

Figliulo's first boss, Ted Bell, hired him as a junior art director right out of Pratt. Bell, then a cd at Burnett and now an author, to this day remembers the spec ad in Figliulo's book that convinced him to hire the twentysomething on the spot. It featured two side-by-side windows. The left one showed a view of clouds and blue sky over the line "$799 view," suggesting what an airline passenger sees. The right one, labeled "$299 view," revealed a more varied rolling countryside with mountains and streams. The pitch? Ride Amtrak.

"He's just got a great eye and he's incredibly talented," said Bell. "No question about it."

Euro RSCG Chicago chairman and CCO Steffan Postaer, who worked in Bell's group in the late 1980s and early 1990s, added that Figliulo is "very charming and he's charismatic. He has an attractive quality about him that has served him well."

Y&R Chicago highlights under CCO Mark Figliulo:

Miller A 2004 corporate image spot, to the tune of Devo's "Freedom of Choice," depicted a seemingly endless chain of people falling into each other like dominoes through an office building, a bus, a train station and into a bar where a guy drinking Miller Lite steps out of the way. Tagline: "Good call."

H&R Block A 2000 campaign featured a father named Bill who loses his wits while preparing his taxes, ignoring his wife's sexual advances and screaming for silence in an otherwise quiet house. The tagline: "Get help."

Live Earth A 2007 spot for the global warming awareness concert used music and images such as a tap-dancing woman to redefine the universal Morse code message "S.O.S." as "Save Our Selves." Figliulo also came up with the idea of Spinal Tap reforming for the event, which director Rob Reiner teased in a series of Web films.

Sears A visually driven 2006 spot depicted spring yard flowers blooming into a collection of outdoor products, including a lawn mower and a gas grill.