Rapp appoints Volkswagen chief marketing officer Alexei Orlov as CEO

Of the appointment Adams commented: “Alexei brings nearly three decades of experience as a global specialist in brand architecture, cross-cultural marketing deployment and operational change management. I am confident that his well-known passion for bringing together dynamic teams to support and make a difference for clients of all sizes, as well as his proven capabilities as a client- and agency-side leader, business strategist and branding expert, will add enormous value to Rapp and, most importantly, its worldwide portfolio of clients.”

Prior to working with Volkswagen Orlov was senior partner at The Partnership, where he supported DraftFCB in Europe and during his career Orlov has held a number of senior positions at WPP’s Wunderman Worldwide, holding the role of vice chairman in 2005.

“I am honoured to have the opportunity to guide the company into its next phase of growth. With Rapp’s excellent teams and extensive global reach and experience, we will further build upon our capabilities to deliver highly relevant and impactful ways for our clients to reach, engage and support customers and consumers. Today, like never before, real-time context and rich content must go hand-in-hand, powered by technologies that allow our clients better decision quality and real-time deliverables so that they win and hold sustainable points of distinction,” Orlov said.

Orlov succeeds Bob Horvath as CEO who remarked: “Alexei is immensely talented, and will bring vibrant new energy and possibilities to RAPP. I am confident he will build on the company's success and guide RAPP and our clients to even greater heights in this dynamic industry.”

Horvath served as CEO for eight years, leading Rapp through a number of major transitions, especially its evolution into digital and other new media channels, he will remain with the agency in the role of global chairman.