Dive Brief:
- 4A’s, the advertising agency trade association, named Marla Kaplowitz its new CEO and president after a unanimous vote of the 10-person selection committee made up of group board members per an organization press release.
- Kaplowitz was named CEO of MEC North America in 2011 and her background includes stints at Ammirati Puris Lintas and DMB&B. She also spent 12 years at MediaVest, leading Procter & Gamble's communications planning for North America.
- "As a passionate member of this industry for nearly 30 years, I'm thrilled to join the 4A's at this exciting and pivotal time for marketing and communications," said Kaplowitz in the press release. "I look forward to working with the team at the 4A's, including the board, as well as partnering with industry leaders to ensure a thriving future."
Dive Insight:
The appointment comes at a time when the ad agency space is under significant pressure on numerous fronts that Kaplowitz is likely to take a look at.
In addition to ongoing questions around what the role of the agency is in the digital era, the past year has seen a number of new issues become apparent. These include growing concern about a lack of diversity within agencies, something 4A's is trying to tackle, and intensifying scrutiny on agencies' business practices like non-transparent billing. The latter, in particular, could spell big trouble for agencies as the Department of Justice is investing important players like WPP and others over allegations of price fixing.
The selection committee was led by 4A's board chair Bill Koenigsberg, who in a statement on the announcement, described Kaplowitz as “a dynamic force for change; she is an innovator and truly understands our top priorities for the coming years” at a time when the ad agency space is “moving at lightning speed.”
Koenigsberg also praised outgoing CEO Nancy Hill’s work leading the organization for almost nine years. Hill’s regime was seen as a time spent guiding the organization’s transformation as a provider of leadership, advocacy and guidance for the industry and tackling issues including patent trolling, online privacy, talent development, media buying guidelines and diversity and gender equality.