FCB Worldwide Restructures and Establishes Global Centers of Excellence System

NEW YORK, November 11 /PRNewswire/ --

- Rafael de Guzman named President of FCB International

FCB Worldwide is replacing its regional-centric structure, in both the U.S. and International operations, with Global Centers of Excellence, it was announced today by Steve Blamer, President and CEO of FCB Worldwide.

The new structure will increase the autonomy of the operating offices while producing significant cost savings that can be reinvested in areas of the business that will enhance FCB's offering to clients and help generate growth in the individual offices. Importantly, the new structure will help foster and facilitate an overall focus on the quality of the global creative product.

In making the announcement Mr. Blamer said, "Today's global marketplace is changing rapidly. Old school agency networks and structures simply don't work anymore. Agency networks need to adapt. Our global clients want better integrated creative solutions and a delivery system that makes it happen. The most significant element of this new structure is that it will allow us to target our resources closer to where they're of most value to our global and local clients."

In conjunction with the restructuring Mr. Blamer has named, Rafael de Guzman as President and CEO of FCB International. Mr. de Guzman will report directly to Mr. Blamer. Gene Bartley, CEO of North America will be retiring in January '06 as planned, and Ben Barnes, CEO of Asia/Pacific & Africa and Scott Hollingsworth, CEO of Europe/Middle East will be leaving the company to pursue other interests.

The newly established Centers of Excellence outside of the United States will be overseen by Mr. de Guzman and Mr. Blamer will directly oversee all North American operations.

Mr. Blamer continued the announcement by stating, "Rafael's past successes have clearly demonstrated that he has the energy, vision and skill base necessary to lead FCB's global efforts going forward," concluded Mr. Blamer.

The FCB Centers of Excellence will initially include Brazil, Mexico, Puerto Rico, United Kingdom, France, Austria, Germany, India, Greater China, Southeast Asia, South Africa, and The Horizon Group of the Middle East. The leaders of the Centers of Excellence will form an international management board reporting directly to Rafael, and will help coordinate global and regional clients and pitch new ones.

All the FCB Centers of Excellence meet the overall criteria of 1) Global client base. 2) Fully integrated offering. 3) Strong local market position. 4) Excellent creative product. 5) Superior local management.

Mr. de Guzman re-joined FCB in 2002 as President & CEO of Foote Cone & Belding Latin America. Prior to that, Rafael was with Motorola, in Latin America and was promoted to VP Marketing Operations in 2000. In 2001, he was named Vice President and General Manager of the Personal Communications Sector-Latin America Group, and oversaw the turnaround of Motorola's wireless handset businesses in Latin America.

Prior to Motorola, Rafael worked at Nike. From 1995 to 1997, as General Manager Latin America-Distributors, Rafael changed and implemented a new distributor management philosophy and process which grew revenues significantly. From 1997-1999, as President, General Manager for Nike in Brazil, Rafael launched Nike there, developing a low risk, low investment business model that has made Nike Brazil one of the most successful Nike properties in Latin America.

Rafael has held senior management positions with leading global advertising and marketing companies including Grey, JWT, Scali McCable & Sloves in New York, Madrid and Puerto Rico. From the advertising and marketing side, he managed products for the Perdue Chicken, Schweppes, Colgate - Palmolive, S.C. Johnson, R.J. Reynolds, Heineken, Savarin Coffees, Renault, L'Oreal, Iberia Air Lines, General Foods, Procter and Gamble and Allied Domecq Brands Mr. de Guzman began his career at Foote Cone & Belding in Puerto Rico in 1969.

A native of Puerto Rico, Rafael graduated with a degree in Marketing from Boston College. Rafael lives in Coral Gables with Jane his wife who is a criminal defense attorney. They have 5 children.

The Foote Cone & Belding Worldwide network, a business unit of the Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE: IPG) is one of the world's largest marketing communications networks with offices in 110 countries.