We received the release you’ll see below this morning, after posting a rumor we’d heard last night. We can’t confirm the origin of the release, so take it as speculative for now.
Y&R announced today that John Berg is joining the agency as President and CEO of Y&R San Francisco. He succeeds Penny Baldwin. Berg joins the agency from TAXI New York, where as its President for the past two years, he broadened their offering, drove innovation, attracted new business and tripled their revenue.
“John is a brilliant addition to our North America
management team,” said Tom Sebok, President and CEO of Y&R North America. “He knows how to drive growth, knows how to develop and deliver great work, and understands the impact that building the right agency culture has on both. John Berg always touches the heart of his clients and his employees, and that translates to great results,” he stated.
Read the rest of the release, after the jump.
More: “Y&R Does Diversity”
“I can’t think of an agency I’d rather be at today than Y&R,” said
John Berg. “Y&R has great new management and creative leadership, and is benefiting from the best of both worlds – true iconic status and the thrill of an agency that’s transforming. This is going to be a
great opportunity to be entrepreneurial, to do terrific new work for our clients and be part of their complete renaissance,” he added. Berg, who came up through the account side of the business, served
as EVP and Group Director at BBDO for 12 years, leaving the agency in
’99, after having successfully brought in global clients like Bayer and
Dell.
After BBDO, he stepped outside the agency business for a year as the Group Publisher of Wenner Media, responsible for Rolling Stone,
Men’s Journal and US Weekly magazines.
From 2000 to 2002, Berg served as the President of DDB New York, presiding over great change at that agency. He then held that same
role at Euro RSCG MVBMS from 2002 to 2005, before starting his own consultancy in 2005.
Y&R San Francisco counts among its clients Chevron, Dr Pepper
Snapple Group, Palm, AMD, Symantec and the NCAA.