Acxiom Corp.’s new CEO and president, John Meyer, said that he will grow the company incrementally, rather than make sweeping changes.
“Since this was just announced, it’s a little premature to do the grand strategy thing,” Meyer said. “But the evolution that the company has undergone from direct mail to digital needs to progress. We have to look at the changing ways that this information gets distributed; first it was done on mail, then by digital forms on the PC and soon it will be on the mobile phone.
The company’s board of directors unanimously selected Meyer for the position, which he will officially take on February 4. He will also sit on the board of directors.
“I don’t think we need to come up with a big grand change,” he continued. “I think we’ve got a very strong company that, over the past two years, has been distracted by things like private equity purchases, but when we focus on our day-to-day business, we’ll see some results.”
Over the next few months, Meyer will be working closely with Acxiom’s leadership team to map a plan for the company. He said the group’s direct marketing expertise, combined with his business experience, should assist in growth plans.
“If you look in my background, I have extensive experience in the financial and transportation industries, and those are big segments that Acxiom services,” Meyer said. “The relationships I can bring in there are positive.
“I’ve also spent a good part of my career outside of the US,” he added. “The strength of the company now is in North America, but I think we can take that and prudently grow outside the US. We have a strong presence in Europe, but it’s not that big. As we learn more about consumers overseas, we learn they have the same needs and demands and are looking for partners that can give them a solution on a worldwide basis.”
Meyer previously served as president of the Global Services group of Alcatel-Lucent, and, before that, he worked at EDS in a variety of high-ranking positions. At Acxiom, he succeeds Charles Morgan, who has been chairman and CEO of the marketing company since 1975. Morgan will stay on as a consultant to Acxiom through 2010.
