This week marks a changing of the guard in the upper echelons of Team One: Saatchi & Saatchi’s Lexus/luxury-focused agency unit announced that longtime exec Julie Michael will assume the role of president on August 1st.
Michael replaces fellow Team One vet Paul Mareski, who spent 15 years with the agency and six as president. The official word is that he’s leaving for a purpose far closer to home: “pursu[ing] his dream to relocate his family to his hometown of Detroit and participate in the city’s rebirth.” In a statement, Mareski adds, “This move allows our children to grow up with 14 of their cousins just blocks from our new home in Birmingham, Mich.”
As for Michael, the incoming president has been with Team One since 1998, moving up the ranks from director of event marketing/promotions to director of business development to her most recent position as executive director at the agency. Along the way, the exec has not only worked on Lexus, but brands like HSBC Premier and Ritz-Carlton.
Regarding Michael’s appointment, Saatchi West Coast/Team One chairman/CEO Kurt Ritter sings her praises, saying:
“Julie is a proven executive and visionary leader who enjoys the respect and esteem of both clients and agency colleagues. She has been in all the right chairs to provide exceptional leadership in this position, and we are pleased and fortunate to be able to name her as our new president.”
Michael will be replaced by another Team One veteran, Paul Silverman, who’s been with the agency since 2005 and will now assume the dual roles of executive director/account management and managing director of its Texas office.