As CEO of Digitas, Laura leads the largest digital agency in the world with over 3000 employees in 32 offices across 19 countries and is a member of the Publicis Groupe executive committee and the VivaKi board of directors. Since taking the helm in 2007, the agency has achieved the two best years of new business growth in its history, adding more than 90 new clients worldwide in 2009.
Under Laura's leadership, Digitas has expanded its global footprint with new offices in Australia, Brazil, India, Singapore and Sweden and has become one of the leading buyers of digital media worldwide. In addition, the agency has been recognized on Advertising Age's A-List and as an Agency of the Year by: Festival of Media, OMMA Magazine, Adweek Magazine, BtoB Magazine, Les Agences de l'Année (Best Interactive) and Medical Marketing & Media.
Prior to being named worldwide CEO of Digitas in 2008, Laura led operations in the U.S. and helped grow the agency to be recognized as a leading digital marketing agency. Appointed to this role in 2004, she previously led the Digitas New York office and played a key role in the agency's Initial Public Offering.
During her 20-plus years in the marketing communications industry, Laura has garnered experience in brand management, corporate strategy and strategic consulting. Prior to joining Digitas in 1999, she was president of Marketing Corporation of America, providing strategic consulting services to clients in the pharmaceutical, technology, entertainment, and financial services industry. Previously, she led the consulting practice at Yankelovich Clancy Shulman providing strategic marketing services to Fortune and Service 100 clients. Before becoming a consultant, Laura worked in strategic planning for Pfizer Pharmaceuticals, as well as product management at Bristol Myers and the Quaker Oats Company.
She serves on the advisory board of the Tufts University Entrepreneurial Leadership Institute, the Board of Directors of Benchmark Electronics and co-chairs “The One Hundred,” a committee dedicated to raising awareness and funds for the groundbreaking work being done at the Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center.
A summa cum laude graduate of Tufts University, Laura holds an M.B.A. from the University Of Pennsylvania Wharton School Of Business.
A sought–after industry speaker, she has been honored by Advertising Age's Women to Watch 2007, BtoB Magazine's Who's Who (three years in a row), and Women's Business Boston, and is a member of the Global 50.
Stephan Beringer,
President, Digitas International
Stephan Beringer, President, Digitas International, is widely regarded as a true pioneer of the interactive space. He offers a career of international experience and understanding of business creativity and innovation from which he'll draw to bolster Digitas' key position in the market. As President, Digitas International, Stephan's key focus is to drive organic and new business in all non-U.S. markets - including EMEA, LatAm, and Asia-Pac - while continuing to strengthen Digitas' global footprint, and growing the Agency's global client relationships.
While Stephan's experience began with media-neutral roots, he forged beyond more traditional advertising and marketing spaces, and in the nineties set up and eventually lead one of the first integrated agency units in the German market: TribalDDB Munich. A founding member of TribalDDB Worldwide, Stephan was responsible for launching the German operation in 1995 and the Austrian office in 1999. Through his role as CEO of Tribal Germany and Tribal Austria, he became a member of TribalDDB's European Board in 2001, took over as regional lead in 2005, and effectively tripled the area of TribalDDB's footprint. Stephan was ultimately responsible for TribalDDB in the EMEA region with its 24 offices.
Stephan holds a degree in law and has previously worked in the music and film industries.
Colin Kinsella,
President, Digitas North America
As President of Digitas North America, Colin drives growth, innovation and collaboration across the agency’s largest region. He joins Digitas with an extensive background of more than 20 years of experience in traditional and digital advertising.
Most recently, Colin served as Global Chief Innovation Officer for Razorfish, a role he was appointed to in May 2009. Previously, he was President of the agency’s West region where he led all of the agency’s discipline areas, including analytics, strategy, delivery, media and technology to drive the development of customer experiences for clients such as Visa, Singapore Airlines, Genentech, Sony, Williams Sonoma and Westfield. Prior to this role, Colin served as general manager of both the agency’s California offices, a position he’d held since joining Razorfish in 2004.
Previously, Colin led the creative, strategy and business-to-business efforts at QuinStreet, a start up specializing in online marketing and technology. Prior to that, he spent 14 years at Foote Cone and Belding serving in several leadership roles in Chicago, San Francisco and London—where he led FCB’s efforts to establish a network throughout Europe, Africa and the Middle East.
Colin holds an MBA from University of Chicago and a B.A. and B.S. from University of Dayton. He has also served as Vice Chairman for the Northern California American Association of Advertising Agencies (AAAA); Chairman of the AAAA Western Region Interactive and New Media Committee; and an Advisor to the Board of Animated Speech—a company which produces software that builds speech and language skills for children with autism and other language difficulties.
Mark Beeching,
Chief Creative Officer
As Chief Creative Officer, Mark leads Digitas creative work throughout the agency's network in the USA, Europe, and Asia. He brings to the role a background that spans children's theater, Cold War broadcasting to the former Eastern bloc, general advertising, film production and digital media.
Mark says he feels "just relieved and lucky" that the very unplanned messiness of his career has equipped him so well for these times of rapid change in the media and marketing landscape. His vision for change, leadership and influence have helped produce award winning campaigns that unleash the powerful interaction of brands and people. During his tenure at Digitas, Mark has led innovative digital work for clients including American Express, Delta, Samsung, and InterContinental Hotels Group.
Mark's creative impetus and his championing of Digitas colleagues have resulted in top industry honors including: Cyber Lions silver and bronze and Lions Direct gold and bronze - Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival - and Adweek IQ Independent Agency of the Year.
Prior to joining Digitas in 1999, Mark was executive creative director of Circle.com and co-founder of the London Beechwood agency. Mark holds a B.A., cum laude, and a Master of Arts from Corpus Christi College, Oxford.
Seth Solomons,
Chief Marketing Officer
Seth Solomons, Global Chief Marketing Officer for Digitas, has been at Digitas for 8 years, working across several key client engagements including Samsung, Delta, American Express, and Pfizer. Seth also heads New Business where he is responsible for driving the agency's offering and growth strategy. Under his leadership, Digitas delivered in 2008 net new business revenue growth more than 100% greater than its previous best growth year in 2007.
Seth is a seasoned marketing professional with more than 16 years of integrated marketing experience including traditional advertising, interactive, direct and partnership marketing. Most recently, Seth was named as one of the top 40 under 40 by Advertising Age in July 2007.
Prior to joining Digitas, Seth spent 8 years at Wunderman Worldwide.
Joe Tomasulo,
Chief Financial Officer
As CFO, Joe is responsible for all financial affairs of Digitas globally, including overseeing financial operations and all accounting and finance functions.
Joe most recently served as senior vice president of mergers and acquisitions/real estate, for Publicis Groupe, S.A, based in New York. In this role, Joe played an integral role in the Groupe's expansion and in supporting the infrastructure needs in the US market. He was formerly senior vice president of corporate finance/mergers and acquisitions for BCOM3 Group, Inc. in New York (formerly McManus Group) and has extensive international experience in the financial and legal issues facing the advertising industry for the past 17 years. He began his career with Price Waterhouse as a senior accountant.
Joe holds a B.B.A. in Accounting from Iona College, a J.D. from New York Law School and an LL.M. from New York University School of Law. He is a member of the New York and New Jersey Bar Associations and is a Certified Public Accountant.
Tony Weisman,
Global Client Leader
President, Digitas Chicago Region
As president of the Digitas Chicago Region, Tony is responsible for leading the strategy and execution of Digitas services across the region's client base, and for the growth and development of the office and its people. And, as Global Client Leader, he partners with the agency's worldwide CEO, Laura Lang, to organize resources and talent against global client initiatives and foster senior level global relationships.
Since Tony joined the agency, the Chicago region has more than tripled in size adding numerous new clients including MillerCoors, Walgreens, and Kaiser Permanente, and growing existing relationships with Whirlpool, P&G, Kraft, General Motors and Mars. He has also attracted a variety of innovative professionals to help lead the continued growth of the agency.
Digitas Chicago has been recognized as one of Crain's Chicago's "Best Places to Work", Best Companies Group's "Best Companies to Work for in Illinois", Brill Street + Company's "Top 50 Employers for Generation Y Chicago" and Chicago's "101 Best and Brightest Companies to Work For" by the National Association for Business Resources.
Tony came to Digitas with more than 22 years of advertising industry experience. He was most recently chief marketing officer at Draft Chicago, where he spearheaded one of the most dramatic growth trajectories in the business's history. Prior, he held various management positions at Leo Burnett.
Tony holds a B. A. from Brown University (Phi Beta Kappa). He is a Chairman of the Board of Chicago Public Radio and a member of the boards of the American Association of Advertising Agencies (Chicago Chapter) and the Off The Street Club.
