NEW YORK, April 9, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- McCann Worldgroup today announced that it has named Michael McLaren as CEO of MRM//McCann. McLaren has been serving as President of MRM//McCann since May 2013. Hank Summy will continue to serve as President of MRM//McCann North America and the Global Commerce practice.

MRM//McCann is one of the world's leading customer experience and relationship marketing agency networks with offices in 22 countries and a blue-chip list of global and local clients. With deep digital, technology and multi-platform expertise, it delivers clients a wide range of industry leading capabilities including content, commerce, CRM, mobile, search, social media, loyalty programs and data analytics. Widely recognized for its achievements, MRM//McCann has been named "Agency of the Year" multiple times, both in the Interactive and Direct categories.

"Michael is an enormously talented leader with a very strong record of helping clients build their businesses," said Harris Diamond, Chairman and CEO of McCann Worldgroup. "He is ideally suited to the task of leading MRM//McCann and continuing to further develop and grow the brand throughout the world. We look forward to his continued success in driving our clients' businesses forward."

McLaren added, "I am tremendously excited about this new challenge. Marketing today is increasingly reliant on creativity, technology, data and science to help create and build lasting customer relationships. MRM//McCann is fully immersed in this transformation, and we have developed the right skillset to deliver the breakthrough creative and technology solutions that our clients require."

At McCann, McLaren first served as worldwide account director in San Francisco on Microsoft in 1999, and then moved to New York in 2004 as Worldgroup's Director of Global Accounts. He was named President of McCann Erickson USA in 2007. In 2009 he moved to Japan in the dual role of CEO of McCann Worldgroup Japan and Regional President of McCann Worldgroup Asia Pacific, where he oversaw operations in 14 countries. In 2012 he returned to New York as President of MRM/McCann USA and was named worldwide President the following year.

About McCann Worldgroup

McCann Worldgroup, part of Interpublic Group (NYSE: IPG), is a leading global marketing company with 23,000 employees in more than 120 countries comprising McCann Erickson (advertising), MRM//McCann (digital marketing/relationship management), Momentum (event marketing/promotion), McCann Health (professional/dtc communications), CRAFT (global adaptation and production), UM (media management), Weber Shandwick (public relations), and FutureBrand (consulting/design).

SOURCE McCann Worldgroup