North American President Mike Geiger Leaving JWT

By Patrick Coffee 

This morning we confirmed that Mike Geiger, president and chief integration officer of JWT North America, will be leaving the agency.

JWT officially describes Geiger’s pending departure as “amicable” and “not a surprise”; it would seem to mark the latest step in a New York-based rearrangement preceded, most prominently, by the August announcement that CCO Jeff Benjamin would be leaving in early 2015.

In a strategic shift, JWT will not actively seek to replace the outgoing Geiger.

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Geiger and Benjamin joined JWT at the same time just over three years ago as the agency looked to refresh its New York leadership team (Benjamin’s predecessor Peter Nicholson departed for an ECD role with McKinney’s Manhattan office). Before accepting the JWT job, Geiger spent nearly a decade within the GS&P organization, leading the shop’s interactive production department in San Francisco before becoming chief digital officer and associate partner.

In recent months, JWT has made several changes anticipating Benjamin’s departure — most notably the hiring of 360i CCO Adam Kerj to succeed him. In the most recent move at the agency’s New York office, former Managing Director Lynn Power will assume the role of president and Lisa Setten, previously head of production, will be head of integrated production moving forward. (Co-managing director Claire Capeci ascended to the newly-created global president of retail role earlier this month.)

Geiger’s departure also precedes the unveiling of Mirum, the new globally-oriented JWT digital property set to make its debut next month. Sources claim that Dan Khabie, founder of JWT acquisition Digitaria, will lead its North American operations in a role that may include many responsibilities formerly handled by Geiger.

We have no word on the departing president’s destination, but an agency spokesperson says he’s “excited about the next chapter” in his career.

Expect more changes to come; updates as we receive them.

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