BOSTON, Jan. 15, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Diane Hessan, President and CEO of Communispace, the pioneer in online communities for consumer insights, announced today that she will transition to Chairman of the company, effective March 1. She has named Charles Trevail, a senior Communispace executive and well-known thought leader in the co-creation field, as the company's next CEO. Trevail, who has been leading the company's aggressive global expansion, will step into the role to build upon Communispace's explosive growth over the last year.

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Trevail is the former CEO of Promise, which Communispace acquired in 2012 with the goal of dominating the global consumer collaboration market. In his 25 years in business, Trevail has built a reputation as a strategic and inspirational leader, serving as CEO of both FutureBrand and Enterprise IG before founding and leading Promise. He has served as a trusted advisor to British Airways, Tony Blair, and scores of global corporations.

"2013 has been one of our best years ever," Hessan said. "We launched our 700(th) community, welcomed our 500(th) employee, opened several additional offices around the world, built fantastic new capabilities, and sustained our 92% client retention rate. It's a great time for me to step aside and pave the way for new leadership and fresh thinking," she added. As Chairman, Hessan plans to spend most of her time with clients and partners in the marketplace.

As Communispace is now focused on transforming the way that corporations collaborate with their consumers, Trevail plans to accelerate the pace of expansion.

"Although we have been helping businesses develop more meaningful relationships with consumers for 14 years, we recognize the movement is still in its infancy and has huge potential around the world," Trevail said. "Consumer collaboration is the new frontier and a new source of growth for major brands. Communispace is poised to bring our services to new markets, and to significantly expand its value to our clients."

About Communispace
Communispace is the consumer collaboration agency uniquely equipped to harness the power and inspiration of consumers to drive business growth. Communispace has been the fastest-growing consumer insights firm in the US for the last four years, delivering unparalleled consumer engagement and business impact, with more than 700 communities launched to date.

The acquisition of Promise Corporation, in November 2012, enabled Communispace to marry its unique research approach with the strategic consulting tools and processes that Promise successfully pioneered for a decade. The integration also marked Communispace's most significant step to date in expanding its global capabilities -- Communispace has recruited members from 156 countries total, or 80% of the world.

Headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, Communispace has other US offices in Atlanta, Chicago, New York, and San Francisco, and global offices in Amsterdam, Cape Town, London, Mexico City, Sao Paulo, Shanghai, and Sydney.

To learn more about Communispace, please visit www.communispace.com. Communispace is a part of Diversified Agency Services, a division of Omnicom Group Inc. (NYSE: OMC)

About Diversified Agency Services
Diversified Agency Services (DAS), a division of Omnicom Group Inc. (NYSE: OMC) (www.omnicomgroup.com), manages Omnicom's holdings in a variety of marketing communications disciplines. DAS includes over 200 companies, which operate through a combination of networks and regional organizations, serving international and local clients through more than 700 offices in 71 countries.

About Omnicom Group Inc.
Omnicom Group Inc. (www.omnicomgroup.com) is a leading global marketing and corporate communications company. Omnicom's branded networks and numerous specialty firms provide advertising, strategic media planning and buying, digital and interactive marketing, direct and promotional marketing, public relations and other specialty communications services to over 5,000 clients in more than 100 countries.

SOURCE Communispace