- Della de Lafuente

NEW YORK La Comunidad general manager Alain Groenendaal has been named president and CEO of Hispanic ad shop Winglatino.

He fills the spot being vacated by the impending departure of industry veteran Jackie Bird, who is stepping down after leading the New York-based agency for seven years.

"For me, it is mission accomplished at this organization," said Bird, who has been an executive at Grey for more than 20 years. She also served as president of the agency that today operates as Grey Puerto Rico from 1990 until she was tapped to head up Winglatino in 2001.

She said in an interview Wednesday evening that she'd informed executives of the Grey Global Group more than four weeks ago of her decision to undertake some personal plans and to exit the agency. Grey in turn is a unit of U.K.-based holding company WPP Group.

"Now it's time to step back and see where I want to go," Bird said, noting that it was premature to discuss the details of her future endeavors at this time.

She leaves behind "a multichannel communications company on the leading edge of Hispanic marketing that has evolved from a full service ad shop," said Grey Global CEO Jim Heekin in a statement.

Bird was instrumental in the appointment of Groenendaal to the CEO post, recommending him for the job and staying on to assist in the management changeover to provide a seamless transition for clients and agency personnel.

As the immediate past chairwoman of the Association of Hispanic Advertising Agencies, Bird also will continue to serve through April on the industry group's board of directors.

Groenendaal said he doesn't foresee making any immediate changes within the organization other than a change in venue for the agency, which will be moving to the Grey offices in midtown here for a year until new office space in New York's Flatiron District becomes available for the entire Grey organization.

"One thing that the agency has been missing for awhile is a head of planning, so that is a key thing that we will be looking to fill," he said.

Groenendaal brings 24 years of experience to Winglatino, having served as gm of La Comunidad, Miami, since 2005. There, he created a superior management team and stellar growth record, winning clients including Remy Martin, Miller Brewing and most recently Johnson & Johnson. Prior to La Comunidad, he spent 20 years at Leo Burnett, and worked as vp, chief strategist of The Lab, Leo Burnett's global brand consultancy, which he founded.

Winglatino's client roster includes: Procter & Gamble, Goya and BP/Arco, among others.