Former GM exec LaNeve to join Ford ad agency Team Detroit as COO
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DETROIT -- Former General Motors U.S. sales and marketing boss Mark LaNeve will become COO of Team Detroit, Ford Motor Co.'s advertising agency, according to a statement released by the agency.
LaNeve is expected to start within the next two weeks at Team Detroit headquarters in Dearborn, Mich. He will report to CEO Satish Korde at Team Detroit, a subsidiary of global media giant WPP based in the United Kingdom.
His appointment adds global automotive marketing and luxury brand expertise at Team Detroit as Ford attempts to revive its flagging Lincoln division and as automakers increasingly slug it out on a world stage.
"Much has been accomplished over the past year in restructuring and building our business; the time is right to bring in a new operational leader who will help take us to the next level," Korde said in a statement on Tuesday.
"Mark is not only a great industry veteran, he's a seasoned marketing and automotive executive with a strong background in retail, luxury and also the service industry, bringing a diverse amount of operational experience to this role. Mark and I will stay closely linked on the business, providing Ford Motor Company with the creativity and innovation that have been a hallmark of this operation since its inception in 2007."
The move was earlier reported by Fortune.com.
LaNeve began his career at GM, serving as brand manager for the Pontiac Bonneville and working for Cadillac. He left in 1997 to become vice president of marketing and later CEO of Volvo Cars of North America, then owned by Ford. He returned in 2001 as general manager of Cadillac and became GM North America vice president of marketing and advertising in 2004.
He left GM months after the automaker declared bankruptcy in 2009 and became chief marketing officer for Allstate Corp. in Northbrook, Ill., where he oversaw the insurance company's breakthrough "Mayhem" advertising. LaNeve resigned from Allstate in February, citing "personal reasons."
Said LaNeve in the statement: "Ford is an iconic brand with outstanding leadership, great products and an even better future. With several options for returning to the industry I love, returning home to Detroit to be part of the Ford team through WPP was simply an opportunity I couldn't pass up."
PRESS RELEASE: Mark LaNeve Joins WPP's Global Team Ford
DEARBORN, Mich., July 31, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Marketing and automotive veteran, Mark R. LaNeve, has been named Chief Operating Officer of WPP Group's Global Team Ford, it was announced today.
"Much has been accomplished over the past year in restructuring and building our business; the time is right to bring in a new operational leader who will help take us to the next level," said CEO of Global Team Ford, Satish Korde. "Mark is not only a great industry veteran, he's a seasoned marketing and automotive executive with a strong background in retail, luxury and also the service industry, bringing a diverse amount of operational experience to this role. Mark and I will stay closely linked on the business, providing Ford Motor Company with the creativity and innovation that have been a hallmark of this operation since its inception in 2007."
Reporting to Korde, LaNeve will lead the strategy and overall operations for the Ford and Lincoln businesses globally. "Ford is an iconic brand with outstanding leadership, great products and an even better future," LaNeve said. "With several options for returning to the industry I love, returning home to Detroit to be part of the Ford team through WPP was simply an opportunity I couldn't pass up."
"Mark's joining the WPP team adds a whole new dimension to our global capability," said WPP Group Chief Executive, Sir Martin Sorrell. "The great partnership which we enjoy with Ford will be strengthened even further."
LaNeve most recently served as Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer at Allstate Insurance Company, where he led a realignment of the sales and marketing business and launched the award winning "Mayhem" campaign. Prior to joining Allstate in 2009, LaNeve served as Vice President Sales, Service and Marketing at General Motors, where he began his career. He left GM in 1997 to serve as President and Chief Executive Officer at Volvo Cars of North America, Inc. until 2001; he returned that year to GM to be the General Manager for Cadillac, a post he held until 2005. His success with the Cadillac brand was recognized and rewarded in 2003 when he was named "Grand Marketer of the Year" by Brandweek magazine. LaNeve holds a Bachelor's Degree in business communications from the University of Virginia, where he was an Academic All-American football player.
About Team DetroitTeam Detroit, Dearborn, MI., brings together five of WPP's largest marketing and communications agencies in one location to provide its clients access to best practices and talent. Team Detroit is the 21st century equivalent of the full-service agency, acting as a portal to provide a single point of contact and accountability. Visit www.teamdetroit.com to learn more.
You can reach Jesse Snyder at jsnyder@crain.com.
