McCann Worldgroup, MRM add chief growth officers

Global network McCann Worldgroup and its digital agency MRM have both brought on chief growth officers as the new business market heats up. 

On Tuesday, Marcy Samet was elevated to global chief growth and development officer at McCann Worldgroup after holding a similar role at MRM since 2008. And Maggie Connors joined MRM as global chief growth officer, after running new business at Deutsch NY. Deutsch is looking for a replacement and in the interim EVP, group account director Jayme Maultasch will lead new business efforts.

Samet’s role is new for McCann Worldgroup, as the network seeks to snag more integrated business with large, global clients. Samet spent the past year shaping these integrated pitches across the network, leading to big wins such as Cigna and 3M, she said.

“McCann Worldgroup's strength lies in the ability to drive growth among global brands,” she added, noting long standing clients including Mastercard, L’Oreal and Microsoft. 

With its roots in CRM, MRM is increasingly playing a big role in integrated pitches as marketers lose access to identity signals, making its offering more relevant “as the world pivots to modern marketing,” Connors said. 

The agency, which has played a role in client wins including GSK and Sanofi this year, is looking to double down on its commerce capabilities as clients pivot to an omnichannel sales approach. 

“Then there’s velocity: how can we be faster?” Connors added. “How can we add value in quicker, more efficient ways for clients, and with all of our teams?”

The new leadership appointments come months after Bill Kolb was promoted to CEO of McCann Worldgroup in October. Kolb is structuring Worldgroup to double down on integration while ensuring that each agency is able to provide best-in-class standalone services. 

“The ability to function as a network and see the individual brands come to the forefront is something we're really excited about,” Samet said.