WARC Appoints New Chairman and CEO

Mike Waterson, Chairman of The World Advertising Research Center (WARC), has stepped down in favour of former CBS senior exec Steve White; while Haymarket Brand Media's MD Rufus Olins will join the firm next January as Chief Executive.

White's career in publishing has included positions such as MD of The Thomson Corporation and CEO of media monitoring agency Durrants. Waterson says that his arrival will bring 'major-league strategic business leadership' to the management team.

Current MD Robin Sutton, who has decided to take a planned retirement over the next eighteen months, will remain in his present role to oversee the handover to Olins, after which he will assume responsibility for the company's financial publications and other special projects.

Olins leaves Haymarket after ten years, having joined the company from The Sunday Times in 1998. In 2003, he became MD of Haymarket Management Publications, where he headed Management Today and Campaign and launched charity magazine Third Sector. In 2005, he took charge of Haymarket Brand Media, during which time he has overseen re-launches of Campaign, Marketing, PR Week and Brand Republic.

Waterson, who remains WARC's majority shareholder and now plans to develop a WARC-style electronic business, comments: 'While I relinquish my day-to-day involvement in the business I remain a director and will stay closely in touch with the plans as they evolve. I am very excited about what this means for the future of WARC and am looking forward to seeing the business prosper under its new team.'

WARC is an independent company providing publications and conferences for the marketing, advertising, media and research industries.

The firm has offices in the UK, US and Australia, and is online at www.warc.com .

All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas, 2024- by Nick Thomas, unless otherwise stated.