NEW YORK Miles Young, the incoming worldwide CEO of The Ogilvy Group, carved out a reputation as a strong operator as chairman of the agency's Asia-Pacific region, which has nearly doubled its revenue in the past five years. Sources describe the 53-year-old Briton as dedicated and smart and, as one source put it, "He expects the same degree of dedication from people who work for him."

His success abroad earned the respect of WPP Group CEO Martin Sorrell and made him a logical choice to succeed longtime CEO Shelly Lazarus, a 37-year veteran of the $2 billion network who has held the top job since 1996.

Still, Lazarus, a client-focused leader who's credited with developing one of the most integrated offerings in the business, will be an "extremely difficult act to follow," as Sorrell put it last week when announcing the global CEO succession plan, which takes effect Jan. 1.

Indeed, the 60-year-old leader has engendered loyalty among colleagues and clients alike. And she is known and envied within the WPP family for being able to "manage" her boss better than his other CEOs.

Lazarus will remain chairman of The Ogilvy Group to focus on client relationships and specifically help Young deepen his connections with the likes of Unilever, American Express, IBM, Kraft Foods, Nestlé and Kodak, according to sources.

In an internal e-mail on the succession move, Lazarus heaped praise upon Young, noting his accomplishments and saying that he is "more willing to give the credit to his partners. That is Miles; he is a fierce and loyal advocate for his people. In this respect, and others, Miles is truly a global citizen."

One source described the Oxford history major as a "command and control" leader who is "strong and aggressive" and "knows how to make money." Another source said he's a "fantastic operator" who has "built a diverse, powerful offering" in Asia. Yet another added: "He's very opinionated, but he's very fair. He just likes to be listened to."

Young, who'll be based in New York, is entering the U.S. market for the first time, which naturally presents the dual challenges of scale and cultural differences. In fact, sources describe him as an idiosyncratic "British colonial" type -- qualities that he may want to tone down, particularly when trying to connect with more button-down American clients, said sources.

Like Lazarus, Young has a multidiscipliary background.

Earlier in his career at Ogilvy, which dates back to 1983, Young worked in direct marketing as European regional director of what was then known as Ogilvy & Mather Direct in London. His exposure to the advertising side came mostly during his past 13 years as Asia-Pacific chairman, working primarily out of Hong Kong.



Young, Lazarus and Sorrell all declined interview requests last week.

Young's operational skills are considerable and made him a star in the eyes of Sorrell, according to sources, and this in the middle of a region that the boss believes is critical to future growth. Beyond overseeing some 6,800 staffers in 124 offices in 29 cities, Young was instrumental in forging new alliances and making acquisitions that rounded out Ogilvy's offering. WPP noted in its announcement that the shop's Asia-Pacific revenue now totals around $500 million.

"Ogilvy and WPP have built such an extraordinary position in Asia-Pacific -- dominating India and leading all multinationals in China," said Greg Paull, a principal at the R3 consultancy in Beijing. "It's a sign we've reached the Asian century when leaders from here are going global. Miles has left a great legacy in Asia of the strongest agency network with highly diversified services."

Ogilvy is seen by many as less formidable than it once was, particularly in new business, making one of Young's challenges to reverse the recent pattern in the U.S. that has seen the shop reach the final rounds of blockbuster reviews only to fall short, as it did with Wal-Mart and Sprint Nextel, for example, in 2007.

The network prides itself on its ability to deliver a full array of integrated marketing services -- a core principle that was reinforced by Lazarus and upon which Young is expected to build. His multidisciplinary background will help.

Inside Ogilvy is a "sense of relief that a candidate has been chosen," after months of speculation about succession planning, said a source.

Going forward, some sources expect Ogilvy to be less insulated from WPP's penchant for pitching business as a group once Young takes office on Jan 1. Lazarus has managed to shield her troops from WPP pitches, but under Young that may change. "He would be a willing participant if asked," said one source. —with Noreen O'Leary