CL Shuffles Account Leadership

Paluta Rises to Director; No Sweeping Changes Are Planned
CHICAGO–In his new position as director of account management at Carmichael Lynch, Roman Paluta said he wants to continue the “tremendous strides” made recently by the department.
“In the last year, we submitted six entries to the Effies and won four, and had no client losses,” he said. “And we’re starting to attract the best in the [account management] class from around the country.”
Paluta, who previously worked as one of three group account directors at the $220 million agency, takes control of the 50-person department from managing partner John Colasanti, whose duties were expanded in August after chief operating officer Lisa Meyer exited the Minneapolis agency.
Colasanti will continue to oversee the shop’s media, planning, relationship marketing and new-business departments. Under the new structure, Paluta will report to him.
Since coming to the agency in 1994, Paluta has distinguished himself with his work for clients such as American Standard, Harrah’s entertainment properties and Trex, Colasanti said.
“Clients really trust him,” Colasanti said. “He’s driven by his clients’ growth, and they really sense that.”
Jeanette Long, manager of marketing communications at American Standard, said Paluta was instrumental in convincing the Piscataway, N.J., company to return its $7 million U.S. plumbing products account to CL in 1998 after seven months at the Richards Group in Dallas.
“When we told him we were considering moving the account [from Richards], he was quickly able to put a team and a plan together and tell us why we should go back,” Long said.
No major changes are in store for the department, though it will continue to work closely with CL’s creative ranks, Paluta said.
“At a lot of places, the role of the account management department is to sell ads,” he said. “We look at our role as helping to make great ads.”
Paluta began his career with Leo Burnett in Chicago, where he spent six years working for clients such as The Kellogg Co. and Maytag. He also worked for Minneapolis agencies Campbell Mithun Esty and Mueller Mack before joining CL.