Worldwide Partners appoints McAteer as new chairman
Worldwide Partners Inc (WPI), the world’s largest network of independent marketing services firms, has appointed Ian McAteer as its chairman.
McAteer was elected to the position by the network’s shareholders and will preside over an international board for a two-year period, being responsible for the governance of WPI, strategic direction and giving guidance to the executive team, led by CEO Al Moffatt.
WPI was established in 1938 and has since grown to report $4.1 billion of capitalised billings (£1,685,970,000), making it the world’s 9th largest marketing communications network. Its headquarters are in Denver, Colorado, with a European regional office in Helsinki, Finland.
The network consists of 94 partner agencies with offices in 51 countries. In the last 18 months alone 27 new partners have joined. It has more than 15 network-wide international clients, including Wal-Mart, Caterpillar, 3M, Saudi Arabian Airlines, Novartis, Lehman Brothers and Diageo – to name a few.
McAteer is also group chairman of The Union, Edinburgh, one of the UK’s leading regional agencies and a partner agency of WPI. He is a Fellow of the IPA and is a Member of the Scottish Screen Industries Group. A former barrister, he was a director of Saatchi & Saatchi/London where he worked on corporate campaigns for BA, BT, BP and Cadbury Schweppes.
Al Moffatt, CEO at WPI, said: “It’s a privilege to have Ian as Chairman - he has made a valuable contribution since The Union became a network partner in 1999, and I’m certain his new position will allow us to make the most of his faculties to help continue our path toward redefining how agency networks work.”
McAteer added: “I’m delighted to be taking on the role of chairman at a very exciting time for Worldwide Partners. We have just had our most successful year ever, in terms of agency partners, total billings and shared accounts. In a challenging economic environment, and a world where collaboration across borders comes at a huge premium, I am confident that innovative networks like ours will thrive.”