G2 Names New-Business Head

Though he spent a year in Hong Kong to get international experience, Jason Deland’s heart never left New York.

Deland, who grew up outside Syracuse, was named partner, business development last month at Grey Global Group’s branding and corporate-identity unit, G2, in New York. He held a similar post at TBWA\Chiat\Day, New York, from 1998-2000, helping to land accounts such as Kmart, Circuit City and Barnes & Noble.

Deland, 27, said his subsequent stint as svp of sales and marketing at Hong Kong Telecom (now PCCW) “helped me get inside the mind of a client—how they go about selecting an agency and what they need from an agency.”

Although his career was thriving and he was learning “passable if not amusing” Mandarin, Deland said he felt disconnected watching the events of Sept.