Jamie Edwards will take over as CEO of MediaCom Canada next month, replacing Amanda Ploughman who is resigning after three years in charge.
“Amanda has decided that she would like to move on and do other things,” said Doug Checkeris, CEO, MediaCom North America. Ploughman will stay on for a while to help with the transition but Checkeris said he will also assume a more hands on role until Edwards takes over Nov. 9.
Edwards will join MediaCom from Isobar where he led the global client management function, “overseeing the seamless integration of digital investment across Aegis Media’s global client roster,” according to a MediaCom statement.
While Checkeris said Ploughman’s departure was her idea, he also said he wants the agency to be “bolder” and get back to winning ways after a going through a tough patch. High profile loses in the past 18 months include the TD and Rogers accounts.
“We have not had the success in the market that we would choose to have,” said Checkeris. “I think we have had some trouble in terms of not winning enough. It is simple.”
In a MediaCom release, Checkeris said: “I want to thank Amanda for her contributions to MediaCom during her tenure, and wish her much success.”
With Ploughman’s decision to leave, Checkeris said the company began a “fairly thorough search” of candidates across three continents, and found Edwards, who brings a wealth of digital expertise to the new role.
This was an opportunity to think about what the agency needs to look like in the future and find the right person to lead the way, said Checkeris, though he balked at describing the hire as a move to make MediaCom more “digital.”
Hiring Edwards is not about making MediaCom a stronger “digital agency,” said Checkeris. It is, however, about following consumers, and certainly consumers are increasingly found online.
Before Isobar, Edwards held senior posts at Aegis Media’s Vizeum, and Carat International, starting his career as a media planner and buyer at Booth Locket Makin in the U.K.
MediaCom Canada is the largest media agency in the country, with over $885 million in billings, according to RECMA.
