AUSTIN, TX: GCI Group has created a new Western region, bringing California and Texas under the oversight of one leadership team.
Jake Drake, EVP and GM of California, will broaden his responsibilities to include Texas as president of GCI Group West.
Julian Read, founder of Read-Poland, will serve as chairman of the region.
"Jake and I started having this discussion about the Western region before I took over as CEO," said CEO Jeff Hunt. "This decision is all client-driven."
Clients served by teams in both states include Dell, Pioneer Electronics, Shell, and Radio Shack.
GCI has also named Lynne Skinner and Ben Flusche as presidents of GCI Read-Po-land, the agency's Texas division. They succeed Hunt, who assumed the firm's top post in April.
Hunt also said that GCI will focus on reinvigorating its presence in the Bay Area and bolstering its technology practice.
