Publicis’ Murray Heads to Young & Rubicam

David Sable, in his biggest hire since becoming CEO of Young & Rubicam in February,  has recruited Publicis’ Carter Murray to assume the top North American role.

Murray was chief marketing officer and a worldwide account director at Publicis, where he worked on Nestlé. He joined Publicis in 2007. Before that, he was a regional new business director at Leo Burnett in London.

At Y&R, Murray fills Tom Sebok’s old job. Sebok was president and CEO of North America until July, when he replaced Jane Barratt as CEO of New York. 

At the time, Sable absorbed the North America role. Since then, however, he has searched for a new regional boss. Murray, 36, will be based in New York and start next month.

The new regional chief’s primary focus will be new business development, though Sable expects him to forge ties with key accounts. “You’ve got to have one or two to hang your hat on” or “be grounded in, at least,” Sable said. The accounts he will tend to, however, have yet to be identified.

During the recruiting process, Sable found Murray to be simpatico from their first meeting. (They didn’t know each other before the search.) “I love his energy. I love his sensibility,” Sable added.