Boston-based AMP Agency has promoted Michael Mish to president, rising to the position from svp, general manager. He takes over from agency founder and CEO Gary Colen, who will remain with the agency.
Mish joined AMP, a division of Advantage Solutions, in 2012, and also served as svp of business development. As president, Mish is responsible for agency operations, strategy and growth, including strategic acquisitions, like its recent procurement of SmallTalk Agency.
Under Mish’s leadership, the agency has experienced consistent year-over-year growth on a national and now global scale, which Mish attributes to key investments in digital transformation, data science, creative services and media. “Focusing on customer understanding and empathy has driven our business forward,” Mish told Adweek.
“AMP’s growth is in large part attributable to Michael’s focus on shifting to strategic relationships and evolving AMP’s capabilities to meet the changing needs of clients,” Colen said in a statement.
Mish said that he has stayed with AMP for over nine years because he is surrounded by inspiring entrepreneurs, innovators and a dedicated leadership team. “We have the autonomy to create solutions for our clients with the backing of a large company. From a change perspective, we’re going to continue to diversify our capabilities and focus on first party data, creative and programmatic while strengthening our vertical expertise,” he told Adweek.
Colen will continue in his role as CEO of AMP Agency and also becomes president, marketing and digital commerce solutions group of Advantage Solutions, AMP’s parent company.
A focus on DEI
Mish serves on Advantage’s DEI board, which has implemented a multiyear diversity, equity and inclusion strategy that includes the establishment of employee resource groups, training programs, talent benchmarks and policy recommendations.
Mish will work with other leaders on developing a positive culture and recruiting diverse talent to the company.
“As a DEI board member for Advantage Solutions, I’m able to drive positive organizational change, bring the change to our core agency and to digital advertising,” Mish told Adweek. “Not only are we committed to organizational change, but we also developed a pro-bono program where we are investing resources to support and grow Black-owned businesses, women-owned companies, LGBTQIA organizations and organizations that support the disabled community.”
AMP Agency formed in 1994 but grew in 2018 when Advantage Solutions folded in three other agencies. In 2020 the agency went through a round of layoffs as part of a restructuring due to the pandemic. Earlier this year, AMP hired Kiki Takakura-Merquise as vice president of digital transformation.