GroupM has announced a transition in leadership at its media agency MEC. After nearly 20 years at WPP and 14 years leading MEC, Charles Courtier is stepping down from the role of global CEO to focus on interests outside the company. Succeeding him will be Tim Castree.
Courtier will continue as MEC’s CEO through a transition period and step down at the end of the year, but continue with WPP through June 2017. Castree will step into his new role in January 2017.
“I am immensely proud of what we’ve achieved at MEC and honored to have worked with such unique people at such a genuinely special agency. However, it is the right time for me to move on and start a second life,” said Courtier.
“Charles was instrumental in MEC’s global expansion; he leaves MEC with a strong culture focused on delivering client growth and a long run among the top five agencies in the world,” said Irwin Gotlieb , chairman of GroupM global.
Castree will be based in New York and will report to GroupM’s global CEO, Kelly Clark. He will work with MEC’s global leadership team to implement the vision and strategy for MEC’s client service, product development and business growth.
Castree brings more than 20 years of experience to his new role, spanning creative, media and digital agencies. He served most recently as managing director of Videology in North America.
Before joining Videology, he was USA chief operating officer for Publicis Group’s Mediavest where he led work for clients including American Honda Motor Company, Mondelēz, Coca-Cola, Microsoft and Sprint.
Clark said, “Tim is a proven leader who will bring vision and energy to MEC. He has a laser focus on clients and what they need to win in today’s incredibly complex and competitive market. His broad range of client, agency and geographic experiences will help the MEC team continue to grow.”
