Aegis Media has announced the appointment of Sarah Fay as CEO of Aegis Media North America. Her appointment took effect on April 21.
Fay will take over many responsibilities previously held by Aegis Media Americas CEO David Verklin. According to Aegis Media, Verklin will remain at the company for “a number of months” to assist with the transition. This year marks a full decade for Verklin at Aegis Media.
“[Verklin] will be walking me through all his areas of responsibility,” Kay said. “He has eased me into the job by giving me responsibilities as I’ve come along.”
Aegis Media Americas runs four advertising and marketing services agencies, including direct and digital marketing services firm Carat Fusion, Isobar a global digital network and Posterscope, an out-of-home sector agency.
Since July 2007, Fay has been CEO of Carat in the US and Isobar US. As CEO of Aegis Media North America, she will be responsible for the United States and Canada and will also be a member of the Aegis Media executive committee.
Aegis Media also announced that it will be dividing Aegis Media Americas into two separate units named Aegis Media North America and Aegis Media Latin America. Aegis Media Americas, which includes the agencies Carat, Vizeum, Isobar, Posterscope and Velocity, reported approximately $300 million in revenue for the year 2007.
The newly formed Aegis Media Latin America will report to Mainardo de Nardis, CEO of Aegis Media Global. According to the company, the change reflects the increasing strategic significance of Latin America and follows Aegis Media’s acquisitions of AgenciaClick in Brazil in 2007 and Control Media in Mexico in 2006.
“South America has grown extensively and it’s always been under the supervision of North America, but it really is its own territory,” Fay said. “There are just a lot of unique aspects of Latin American business that are separate and apart from North American business and it makes sense for them to report in globally as its own region.”
Coming to Aegis Media in 1998, Kay said that her relationships within the company are very strong, even with divisions she has not overseen in the past.
“I’m here to bring the group together, to build a team and to rally us together so that we all succeed.” she said.
Fay declined to comment on future plans for Aegis Media North America. However, she said that the agency was “heading toward the finish line on a couple of big pitches” that it is confident about.
