Starcom Chief Executive Resigns

Mark Cranmer, chief executive of the Europe, Middle East and African division of media agency Starcom MediaVest, has resigned after five years in the role.

Cranmer is due to leave the company in March, but a replacement has not yet been named. According to Jim Marshall, Starcom UK chairman, the agency has informed its clients and it is “business as usual”.

The out-going chief executive has had more than 35 years in the industry and was one of the founders of BBH’s media company Motive, which later merged with Starcom.

May saw Starcom beat heavy competition to scoop the COI radio buying account from incumbent OMD, bringing an end to an intensive five-way tussle for the account, worth an annual £20 million. The win dashed the hopes of Carat, Mindshare and ZenithOptimedia, who also pitched for the business (Starcom Scoops COI Radio Account As TV Boss Swaps Sides).

The buying account was made available following a review by the COI of its entire media buying accounts. Starcom’s win follows its loss of the COI’s television account, worth around £77 million a year, which changed hands to Carat earlier this year.

Elsewhere, Richard Webb, general manager of News Group Newspapers, has resigned after ten years in the company, as part of a reshuffle in the senior management team at Times Newspapers (Webb Resigns From News International).

Starcom Motive: 020 7453 4444: www.starcommotive.com