In case you hadn’t heard, Razorfish has appointed a new CEO. Bob Lord will take over as global CEO, moving up from eastern region president. He replaces Clark Kokich, who according to the internal memo we received, is becoming chairman of the company. FYI we pulled out our fav quotes and posted them below. Click continued to read the whole shmoopy thing.
— “…we have become invaluable trusted advisors to the most senior people within our client organizations. We finally have the ‘seat at the table’ we’ve been seeking for so long. So we are sitting on a tremendous opportunity.”
— “…it’s become clear that we will need to continue to evolve in order to succeed on this bigger and more competitive stage. We must rethink every aspect of our organization, starting at the top. ”
— “We’re no longer just building websites and launching online advertising campaigns. We truly are bringing ground-breaking ideas to clients — all of them realized in the digital world, but more and more spilling over into traditional channels as well.”
— “I will continue to be involved in agency strategy decisions, but I’ll be squarely focused on working with clients and teams to deliver transformational business ideas to clients. In addition, I’ll continue my role as executive sponsor on some of our long-held clients, such as Microsoft, Best Buy, Disney, WeightWatchers, Nike, MillerCoors, and others. And of course I’ll still be participating in new-business pitches where it makes sense.”
— “We exhibit pockets of brilliance, but too often we are all working in a vacuum — not really understanding the great progress being made in other offices, and rarely able to leverage that success across the organization.”
— “We need to learn to act as a true global team in order to serve global clients.”
— “We have had no turnover in the senior leadership team, and we haven’t brought in people from outside.”
More: “Digital Is Traditional, Traditional Is Digital: Razorfish Goes 360”
To everyone: In about forty-five minutes we will be sending out the attached press release, in which we announce that Bob Lord will become the chief executive officer of Razorfish. I will become the chairman of the company.
This change has been in the works for some time. In recent months we’ve made tremendous progress in our drive to define and build the agency of the future. The level of innovation has accelerated, the quality of the work has improved, and above all, we have become invaluable trusted advisors to the most senior people within our client organizations. We finally have the ‘seat at the table’ we’ve been seeking for so long. So we are sitting on a tremendous opportunity.
At the same time, it’s become clear that we will need to continue to evolve in order to succeed on this bigger and more competitive stage. We must rethink every aspect of our organization, starting at the top. For some time my passion has been focused on driving innovation. I spend the bulk of my time with clients and teams — developing strategies, pitching clients, selling ideas, and keeping them sold.
And I’ve been gratified by the results. As I travel around the world, I’m consistently amazed by the speed at which the organization has changed. We’re no longer just building websites and launching online advertising campaigns. We truly are bringing ground-breaking ideas to clients — all of them realized in the digital world, but more and more spilling over into traditional channels as well. This is the work that I love. And to a growing extent, it’s become a full-time job. So that will be my role as Chairman.
I will continue to be involved in agency strategy decisions, but I’ll be squarely focused on working with clients and teams to deliver transformational business ideas to clients. In addition, I’ll continue my role as executive sponsor on some of our long-held clients, such as Microsoft, Best Buy, Disney, WeightWatchers, Nike, MillerCoors, and others. And of course I’ll still be participating in new-business pitches where it makes sense.
In addition, I intend to increase my speaking and writing in order to help amplify our brand position in the market. So I’m not going anywhere. I plan to be here for as long as I’m useful. I’m wildly optimistic about our future, and I want to be part of it. In his new role as c.e.o., it will be Bob’s responsibility to institutionalize our recent successes. We exhibit pockets of brilliance, but too often we are all working in a vacuum — not really understanding the great progress being made in other offices, and rarely able to leverage that success across the organization.
Fact is, we’ve become a big company — 2,200 people in eight countries. We need to build the systems and organizational structure that will allow us to use our size as an advantage. We need to learn from each other. We need to challenge each other. We need to build on each other’s success. We need to learn to act as a true global team in order to serve global clients.
There’s lots to be done, and Bob is passionate about diving in and getting to work. As most of you know, Bob has been a part of the company for almost a decade. In that time, he’s been intimately involved in every aspect of our business. He’s successfully led huge technology pursuits as well as digital marketing pitches, including our most recent AOR win for Mercedes-Benz USA. He knows our business cold. He’s a natural client person.
And he’s a highly respected leader. Bob has built a great organization in the east, delivering great work, great business results, and true thought leadership in our space. He’s also in the process of building our business in Latin America, where we deliver outstanding work for our client Terra. Bob will be making the rounds to the offices over the course of the next few months, so you’ll all get to meet him, as will your clients. I’ve worked closely with Bob for almost five years and I’ve enjoyed every minute of it. I know you all will too.
So in conclusion: Yes this is change, and change can be unsettling. But this is change we control, and that we have done in order to set Razorfish up for continued growth. A large part of our success over the past five years has been due to the extreme stability in our leadership group.
We have had no turnover in the senior leadership team, and we haven’t brought in people from outside. We’ve grown our own, and I take pride in that fact. This is another example of where we are evolving our leadership to deal with current challenges and future opportunities, and doing it with no drama or intrigue. It’s a good thing. Clark