Former Y&R CEO Named Chief Client Officer at Meredith Xcelerated Marketing

The incoming executive spent several years with the Y&R and BBDO organizations.

Meredith Xcelerated Marketing

Tom Sebok, a longtime agency executive who formerly served as North American CEO of Y&R and most recently ran the global PepsiCo account at BBDO, has joined Meredith Xcelerated Marketing (MXM) as its chief client officer.

He will report to president Georgine Anton, who held the CCO title before being promoted to evp, general manager in 2015 and president the following year.

“Tom brings to MXM 25 years of experience in shaping the marketing strategies of some of the world’s leading brands, including Pepsi, Campbell’s, Ford, FedEx, Goldman Sachs, AT&T and Virgin Atlantic,” read a statement from Anton, who called the new hire “an innately talented leader known for building great relationships with clients, providing them with the highest level of strategic counsel and demonstrating deep commitment to building their businesses.”

“This is the perfect time to join Georgine and the MXM team,” Sebok added, citing the organization’s “unique combination of deep digital, analytic and tech expertise, coupled with an editorial/publishing DNA and a talented pool of content creators” in explaining its appeal.

Early in his career, Sebok worked in accounts at several prominent New York agencies including Grey, BBDO and Y&R. He later returned to the latter shop, serving as president and CEO of the North American network before taking over as chief executive of its flagship Manhattan office after the 2011 departure of Jane Barratt. Just over six months later, Sebok left Y&R as Carter Murray (who had succeeded him as North American chief) assumed the New York CEO role.

He later rejoined BBDO and served as global lead on the PepsiCo account before leaving in the early months of 2017. A spokesperson for the agency, which produces campaigns for such PepsiCo brands as Tropicana, Pepsi and Mountain Dew, declined to comment on the news.

MXM’s parent company is Meredith Corporation, the media conglomerate that publishes such titles as Martha Stewart Living, Every Day Rachel Ray and Shape in addition to owning several local TV and radio stations around the country.

The New York-based agency employs approximately 400 people, specializes in digital content marketing and counts Benjamin Moore, Kraft-Heinz and NBC Universal among its clients. MXM effectively serves as an umbrella group encompassing all marketing operations acquired by the larger Meredith company.

Patrick Coffee

@PatrickCoffee

Patrick Coffee is a senior editor for Adweek.