Ogilvy CEO Miles Young to be the new chairman as Shelley Lazarus steps down

There is a change of guard at WPP's star-agency Ogilvy. At a recent board meeting in Sao Paulo it was announced that Ogilvy CEO Miles Young would take on the role of chairman effective July 1. This comes in the wake of the long time Ogilvy & Mather Chairman Shelly Lazarus deciding to step down and move into the role of chairman emeritus.

Lazarus has had a very successful stint at Ogilvy & Mather, having spent 40 years in the agency - beginning her career in account-management roles on brands like American Express and Unilever, before becoming general manager of Ogilvy & Mather Direct in the U.S. She was named CEO in 1996, and became the chairman in 1997. Now she passes the baton to Miles Young who had taken over the role of the CEO in January 2009.

On being asked what would be his top priorities as he takes full charge at the WPP agency, Young shared in an exclusive email reply to The Economic Times "A key priority for me will be to push our digital leadership even further. I see an inflexion point where the pure play offer has failed to satisfy clients. Our scale and 360 degrees approach to digital offers much deeper solutions."

Specifically about India he said, "Growing digital in India will be a critical priority for me." To further acknowledge the importance of India, he intends to hold "the first Board meeting of my Chairmanship in India early in the New Year."