Posted by Josh Dysart, Manager, Corporate Communications

There’s been some exciting news for our network the last few days.  As I was typing the first half of this post last night, news of the second announcement came through so I wanted to wait in getting the word out. And rather than completely re-write everything, I’m going to treat this as a two-in-one entry.

Piece of exciting news #1

Michael Fassnacht, a regular contributor to DRAFTFCBlog, earned a well-deserved promotion this week, being named the agency’s worldwide chief strategy officer. For those of you have been following his posts, you know that Michael is a data guru—very insightful on the subject and state of the industry, and he always has a lot to say.

The press release hit the internet this morning, and our CEO and President Laurence Boschetto issued an agency-wide memo announcing the news internally earlier this week. In his memo, Laurence noted:

As one of our most published and well-regarded thought leaders, Michael's vision is to more tightly integrate the thinking and expertise of our world-class practice leaders, while developing intellectual property that can be used across our client base.  He also has the strategic sensibility, the experience and the focus to take a long-term view and help define the kind of agency we're going to be in five years, then help get us there. 

When Michael talks, clients listen closely, and they invariably get something out of the exchange.  That's why he'll maintain his close connection to several clients, while helping to coordinate major new business opportunities that span offices and regions. 

So congratulations, Michael. And if you haven’t been following him, I suggest you do. Reading some of this thoughts and observations is like exercise for the brain, which is always a good thing.

Piece of exciting news #2

Equally as exciting, Laurence issued another memo yesterday evening regarding a fantastic recognition given to Draftfcb Healthcare. The agency was named Agency of the Year by Med Ad News – again! -- at the Manny Awards Wednesday night. They were also awarded a Manny for the Best Disease Awareness Campaign for Centocor Inc. “The agency was recognized for having added 21 accounts in 2008, and for expanding their digital, managed markets, and medical-education offerings,” noted Laurence in his remarks.

Congratulations to Dana Maiman and Tom Domanico and the entire Draftfcb Healthcare team!