NEW YORK Shona Seifert, president of the New York office of TBWA\Chiat\Day, and the Omnicom Group agency have severed ties, a company representative confirmed.
The move comes a week after Seifert was convicted along with co-defendant Thomas Early of federal fraud and conspiracy charges.
Her split with TBWA\C\D, which sources said stemmed from the conviction, came as no surprise. Seifert, who joined TBWA\C\D in February 2002, had been on leave since Jan. 1 so she could focus on her defense. At the time, however, her duties had already been absorbed by TBWA New York Group president Brett Gosper, who joined the agency in September.
In a brief statement, TBWA\C\D said on Wednesday, “TBWA\Chiat\Day and Shona Seifert have mutually agreed to her resignation, effective Feb. 28.” The agency declined further comment.
The conviction related to Seifert’s management of the Office of National Drug Control Policy account at WPP Group’s Ogilvy & Mather in 1999 and 2000. Seifert and Early, also a former Ogilvy executive, each face a fine and up to five years in prison at sentencing, scheduled for May 16.
Post Conviction, Seifert Out at TBWA\C\D
