SYDNEY: GroupM chief operating officer Jeff Ewing has been made redundant, following restructures within the WPP-owned group of media agencies that sees the return of John Steedman.
Ewing is the third high profile departure from within GroupM and its associated agencies in as many weeks.
Last week it was revealed Mindshare country leader John Petropoulos had left the company following the appointment of James Greet as Mindshare chief executive. In late March, GroupM head of mobile Claudia Sagripanti left the company and her role will not be replaced.
The move comes as John Steedman comes out of semi-retirement to take up the role as country leader, chairman & chief executive for GroupM.
"Essentially [Ewing's position] has turned into a financial role and we need a financial director. While Jeff has a financial background, it's not really what he wants to do," Steedman said to AdNews, adding that the Group M's entire financial division would undergo a restructure.
"Our goal is to take a leading position in the marketplace and I think we have waned on that to a degree," he said. "Our perception is not what I would hope it to be, and it's my job and the job of the new management team to change that.
Ewing has been in the role since November 2008, when he replaced Raja Kanniappan who was promoted to chief financial officer at GroupM Asia.
Prior to joining GroupM, he was chief financial officer for Carat's South Asia division for eight years. He left Carat in 2007 and spent a short stint counsulting to BlueFreeway.
GroupM is the holding company for the WPP-owned media agencies Mindshare, MediaCom, Mediaedge:cia and Maxus. According to Nielsen, GroupM billings were $1.3 billion during 2009, down about 13% year-on-year.
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