MPG Forms and Builds Strategy Teams

Insight-focused Havas agency MPG Media Contacts is reorganising its Strategy Department into two distinct functions, and strengthening it with a number of promotions and hires.

The team will split into Communications Strategy and Commercial Strategy, which MPG says reflects an increasing demand from clients to balance these two areas and will allow it to offer 'market leading creativity grounded in insight, balanced with best in class consistent rigorous analysis and measurement.'

Martyn Stokes is promoted to lead the Communications Strategy Team, which will focus on insight driven creative communications planning across all channels. He is joined by new appointees Simon Bielby and Eva Powell, recruited as Strategy Directors. Bielby brings more than sixteen years' experience, most recently from M4C/Mindshare were he was Client Planning Director; Powell has almost a dozen years' in the industry and was previously a Strategy Director at Vizeum.

David Graham, recently arrived from Starcom Mediavest as Head of Digital Strategy, further strengthens this group.

The Commercial Strategy Team focuses on insight, effectiveness, analytics and data planning - including econometric modeling - and will be headed up by Dan Hagen as Managing Partner, Commercial Strategy.

MPG has also promoted ten-year veteran of the company Kate Cox, to Head of Integration, charged with co-ordinating the firm's strategies as its business becomes more complex and its range of services expands.

MD Paul Frampton says the firm wants to 'refocus its efforts in two key areas: Innovation and accountability' and explains: 'By building two strategic units, each with a clear focus, but closely connected, we are ideally placed to deliver insight led, cut through and measurable campaigns for our clients.'

MPG is the biggest network within the media arm of global advertising and communications services group Havas, and is online at www.mpg.com .