Laurence Boschetto, CEO and president of Draftfcb, announced today that Mark Modesto, most recently president of Draftfcb Chicago, has been promoted to the agency’s Corporate Leadership team in the newly created role of president of Draftfcb North America, effective Nov. 1. He will continue to report to Boschetto.
In his new role, Modesto will work closely with Draftfcb’s local management teams in North America, which span New York, Chicago, the West Coast (San Francisco, Seattle and Orange County) and Canada (Toronto and Montreal), to build closer ties and synergies between the offices. He will remain based in Chicago, but his office will span all locations.
“Mark has done an outstanding job leading our Chicago office and I’m sure will be accomplishing the same as we create one Draftfcb across North America,” said Boschetto. “Since our 2006 merger, Mark has been an advocate, embracing our new model and quickly putting in place the training programs to bring it to life. In the process, he has helped create a winning culture that has had outstanding success on the new business front from both brand new and existing clients.”
Draftfcb Chicago, which has grown by nearly 25 percent since the merger, is now the largest agency in the city. It is consistently named one of the “Best Places to Work” in the city, state and region by third-party organizations. In three years, the Chicago agency has welcomed new business from clients including Kmart, Qwest, MillerCoors (including Miller Lite and the brewery’s media planning and buying agency of record assignment), Kraft, Newell Rubbermaid and MoneyGram, among others.
“Our work out of the Chicago agency is getting noticed more and more by the press and at award shows. Most importantly, it’s getting results,” said Jonathan Harries, vice chairman and global chief creative officer. “The fact that four of Chicago’s top five clients are consistently outperforming their categories is a true testament to Mark and the team.”
In 2010, Modesto will celebrate his 30th anniversary at the agency. He began his ad career at FCB back in 1980 as a junior account executive. By 2003, he was named co-president of the Chicago office.
As he ascended the ranks, he worked with such clients as Coors and Kraft before landing on the SC Johnson account. He also spent several years working in FCB’s promotional unit, Marketing Drive, where he gained experience in integrated marketing communications — skills that have served him well in implementing Draftfcb’s new agency model.
“In bringing together Draftfcb, we were fortunate to identify talented leaders within our combined organization – people like Mark — who intuitively understood why our new model was right for these times and for our clients,” said executive chairman Howard Draft. “Mark’s commitment to growing and improving our agency has been an important contributor to our ongoing success.”
Added Boschetto: “Mark is someone who has shown by word and deed that he believes strongly in leadership training and teamwork. I have every confidence that he will ignite our vision for a unified Draftfcb in North America and continue to be a tremendous force in driving our agency’s growth.”
Modesto holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Missouri at Columbia and a master’s degree in advertising from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. A resident of Long Grove, Ill., he and wife Susan have two kids – Mark and Christina.
About Draftfcb
Draftfcb (www.draftfcb.com) is the first global, behavior-based, holistic marketing communications organization to operate against a single P&L. In delivering its clients a high Return on IdeasSM, the agency is driven by The 6.5 Seconds That MatterSM, a creative expression recognizing the brief period of time marketers have to capture consumers’ attention and motivate them to act. With nearly 140 years of combined expertise, Draftfcb has roots in both consumer advertising and behavioral, data-driven direct marketing and firmly believes there is no way to separate creativity from accountability. Part of the Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG), the Draftfcb network spans 96 countries with more than 9,500 employees. The agency’s corporate leadership team includes Howard Draft, executive chairman; Laurence Boschetto, CEO and president; Jonathan Harries, vice chairman and global chief creative officer; and Neil Miller, chief financial officer. For more information, visit www.draftfcb.com.
