McCann Names 360i Veteran to Lead Strategy Across North America

Nine months after losing its chief strategy officer to Ogilvy, McCann has hired Lee Maicon, a longtime executive at Dentsu’s 360i, to fill the role.

Maicon effectively replaces the departed Steve Zaroff in overseeing strategy across the entirety of McCann’s North American operations, guiding the agency’s own brand while joining both the North American leadership team and the larger McCann Worldgroup Global Strategic Leadership Community.

“Lee is ideal for this role inasmuch as he has experience across and an insatiable love for all of the different flavors of strategy from brand to social to digital to media and beyond,” said McCann Worldgroup global chief strategy officer Suzanne Powers. “Given that he is also incredibly passionate about finding and nurturing teams and talent, he is that rare combination of being a superstar in his own right coupled with having deep leadership and team-building skills.”

Maicon told Adweek that he was compelled by the opportunity even though he hadn’t been in the market for a new job.

“I’ve known Suzanne for quite a while,” he said. “When it became clear that they were looking and we started talking, I was impressed by what they’ve put together; its breadth and momentum. There’s a real opportunity to extend that over the rest of McCann North America … I got more excited the more I discovered.”

The incoming executive joined 360i in 2010 as vp, insights and planning after holding marketing, accounts and planning roles at Univision, StarMedia, Berlin Cameron and StrawberryFrog. A native of Mexico who grew up in Miami, he started his career in account planning at Hispanic agency Conill Advertising.

In addition to McCann’s “deep roots,” Maicon cited the agency’s recent client work in explaining his decision: “I have always been inspired by the motto of ‘Truth Well Told’ and it’s clear that McCann’s impressive record helping major marketers build strong and meaningful brands has only accelerated strategic and creative momentum in recent years.”

“As we push our creative product to new boundaries we really welcome someone like Lee who has been at the forefront of our industry in developing brand strategies that are attuned to the dramatic changes affecting consumers, technology and marketing channels today,” added McCann New York president Devika Bulchandani.

360i CEO Sarah Hofstetter said, “Lee Maicon’s been part of the 360i family for the past eight years, as a respected and dedicated leader on the team. We’re grateful for his contributions to the business and are incredibly proud of the work we’ve done together. I’m sure he’ll continue to do great things in his new role, and we wish him continued success.”

Maicon begins his new role at the end of next month.

Patrick Coffee

@PatrickCoffee

Patrick Coffee is a senior editor for Adweek.