- Steve McClellan

NEW YORK Don Epperson, the longtime CEO of Havas Digital, will exit at month's end and be replaced by two co-CEOs: Gabriel Saenz de Buruaga and Anthony Rhind, both Havas Digital veterans.

The company said its broader U.S. management structure would remain unchanged, led by Ed Montes, North American regional manager.

Sources said Epperson -- who joined Havas in 2001 after he sold his company HookMedia to Havas Digital predecessor Media Contacts -- was planning a new entrepreneurial venture. HookMedia had developed a proprietary set of reporting and analysis tools for online ad buys that became part of the Havas Digital offering. Epperson ran the digital unit's U.S. operation from 2001-03, when he was promoted to global CEO. He was not available for comment.

Previously, de Buruaga, who is based in Madrid, Spain, served as COO of Havas Digital, having joined the shop in 2005 after a stint with Europraxis. Rhind, based in London, has been chief strategy officer at the agency. He joined in 2001 as co-manager of the U.K. operations.

Moving forward, Rhind will focus on day-to-day operations, while de Buruaga continues to work on new agency projects, per sources.

Commenting on the moves, Havas Media CEO Alfonso Rodes said in a statement: "Joint management structures and teams have worked exceptionally well for us in the group and we are delighted that these dynamic and talented managers will be taking us forward to meet the challenges and leverage the opportunities that this new economic climate will present."

De Buruaga said: "This is a great role to take on during this moment in time. Developments in the industry around trading, addressable advertising, mobile and integrated marketing services this year will stimulate a new turning point for interactive."

Added Rhind: "This will be an exciting year for us, as many technology and media owner initiatives we have been working on have been implemented. These will be key to managing the new dynamics emerging in the digital and data marketplace."