McCann Erickson continues its search for a rainmaker to help the agency reverse its new-business fortunes. Barbara Yolles, chief growth officer for the past year, is leaving McCann and Alex Lubar, svp, new business at Grey Advertising is joining as chief marketing officer, North America.
Yolles assumed her role last May. One month before she took that position, Mitch Caplan, McCann's North American CMO, exited the agency after just seven months. As part of that shift, Lotta Malm-Hallqvist, McCann’s global chief growth officer, took over some of Caplan’s duties. Malm-Hallqvist is based in London; Yolles worked out of McCann’s Detroit area office.
McCann’s search for a new CMO has been an open secret in New York as the agency has struggled to win new businesses like Radio Shack, which Grey won in April.
Before joining Grey, Lubar was an account director at Bartle Bogle Hegarty, The Ad Store and Rapp Collins Worldwide. At McCann, he will report to Hank Summy, president of McCann North America, and will work with McCann’s management in the U.S. and Canada.