Starcom's US CEO and Global CSO Step Down

Two leaders with over three decades of experience at Publicis are out at Starcom. Starcom U.S. CEO Kathy Ring and global CSO Kathy Kline are both stepping down from the Publicis Media agency. Publicis promoted Chris Boothe, who has spent the past five years as Spark Foundry CEO, to lead both Spark Foundry and Starcom as CEO during a transitional period. "We thank Kathy Ring and Kathy Kline for their leadership, dedication to our clients and commitment to our talent for more than three decades. Their contributions during impressive careers will only continue to shape our success," Publicis said in a statement. "Chris Boothe has a legacy of leadership spanning both the Starcom and Spark Foundry brands. His elevation to oversee the transition and continued growth, collaboration and innovation unique to both brand propositions will accelerate our U.S. success." Both Ring and Kline have shaped Starcom in important executive leadership roles for well over a decade. Ring spent the past five years as U.S. CEO for Starcom, overseeing such large clients as Allstate, Bank of America, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, Kellogg’s, Kraft Heinz, Lionsgate, Lowe’s Home Improvement, Samsung and Visa during that tenure. She previously served as president, COO for around 14 years. In that role, she established and led Starcom's operations in Los Angeles, helping grow the office to a team of over 300. Kline is a Starcom veteran of over 15 years and spent most of the last five as global CSO. She previously spent over a decade in a U.S.-centered role. As evp, managing director, she led a team of over 50 insights and strategy professionals called the Human Intelligence Team. Prior to joining Starcom, she spent over 15 years in account planning for Publicis-owned Leo Burnett, working across such accounts as Allstate, American Girl, Disney Parks, Heinz, Fruit of the Loom, McDonald's and Pillsbury. While Boothe will take on leadership responsibilities for both Spark Foundry and Starcom presently, Publicis has no plans to merge the two agencies, according to a source with knowledge of agency operations. Back in 2019, Publicis did merge Blue 449 and Spark Foundry, with the former agency dropping its name. Successors will be named in CEO roles for both agencies, at which time both leaders will report to Boothe, according to this source. Starcom was one of the last Publicis agencies to hold onto global roles such as Kline's, following the holding company's transition to a country model, and her departure appears to mark a further transition away from previous practices. Last month, Publicis reinforced its U.S. leadership team with a series of moves positioned as an investment in its country model, including appointing Tim Jones as chief operating officer, Publicis Groupe Marketing Services U.S., and Dave Penski as U.S. CEO for Publicis Media. Spark Foundry also hired Jason DaWayne Smith as president, diversified investments last month.