McCann CEO Harris Diamond Is Retiring, Handing Reins to COO Bill Kolb
His retirement marks the end of an 8-year run at the IPG agency
After leading McCann Worldgroup for nearly a decade, chairman and CEO Harris Diamond is retiring at the end of this year.
Bill Kolb, who was named chief operating officer of the global agency network in June, will succeed Diamond.
Kolb is a McCann veteran who’s held a number of positions at the IPG-owned network throughout his career. Prior to becoming chief operating officer, he served as global president of diversified agencies at McCann and chairman and CEO of Commonwealth//McCann, the network’s agency dedicated to Chevrolet.
Prior to that, he held a number of leadership roles at MRM and Momentum, both of which are agencies under the McCann umbrella.
“Bill understands the business needs of our clients across a range of industries, disciplines and geographies,” Michael Roth, chairman and CEO of IPG, said in a statement. “Bill’s long and successful history at McCann spans over two decades, and uniquely positions him to develop the Worldgroup model for the future. With the transition support of Harris, we’re confident the company can continue to deliver on its vision of being the world’s top creatively-driven marketing services organization.”
Under Harris’ leadership, McCann has strengthened its creative chops and won a number of accolades. In 2019, McCann racked up industry awards ranging from Cannes Network of the Year to the Most Creatively Effective Agency Network in the Effie Index. It was also named Adweek’s Global Agency of the Year in 2019. McCann’s major clients include Microsoft, Verizon and L’OrĂ©al.
Harris has been with IPG for much of his career. He served as CEO of both PR firm Weber Shandwick and Constituency Management Group (CMG), a collection of agencies, before joining McCann.
“After 35 years of building a PR business and leading several global marketing communications networks at IPG, it’s time for me to look at new horizons. I am proud of all that the McCann Worldgroup team has accomplished and pleased that Bill will take the reins of McCann and drive us forward,” Diamond said in a statement. “I owe a tremendous debt of thanks to so many clients and colleagues, particularly the senior teams at McCann Worldgroup, Weber Shandwick, CMG, and IPG who have truly been, to the extent I have been successful, keys to that success.”
