NEW YORK: Porter Novelli entered a new era this week as Bob
Druckenmiller stepped into the role of chairman and handed over the
day-to-day global operations to Dave Copithorne.
Copithorne will become global CEO effective January 1 next year, at
which point Helen Ostrowski, formerly senior partner with the agency,
will take over as president of North American operations. PN also named
Michael Gehb as CFO, Gary Stockman as COO, and Julie Winskie as general
manager of the New York office.
As chairman, Druckenmiller will act as brand steward and a resource for
the management team. He will also oversee the agency's talent
development.
PN sees these moves as the fruition of a succession plan put in place
two years ago, and the final stage in its effort to create a clearly
branded single entity with a strong practice structure.
Copithorne knows that some outside PN will characterize him as a
"pony-tailed tech guy," but noted his experience managing global growth,
having turned Copithorne & Bellows into an international agency long
before its merger with PN.
He added, "This is not just about me; it's about the whole management
team with their strength across all disciplines." He characterized his
mission for the agency as being about "fighting trim for clients, and
developing the strongest global practice that will win an increasing
share of global business."
