DRAFTFCB NAMES AURELIO LOPES REGIONAL PRESIDENT FOR LATIN AMERICA
Rafael de Guzman To Continue In Senior Advisory Role

Aurelio Lopes, currently the president of Giovanni + Draftfcb in Brazil, has been named regional president of Draftfcb Latin America, a network that spans 21 markets, effective Jan. 1, 2010. He succeeds Rafael de Guzman, who will continue working with Lopes in a senior advisory role while also working on global initiatives directly with Draftfcb CEO and president Laurence Boschetto.

Earlier this year, Draftfcb announced plans to relocate its Latin American RGQ from Miami to Sao Paulo, where Lopes is based, effective Jan. 1, 2010. As Lopes assumes his regional role, he will still function as president of Giovanni + Draftfcb alongside fellow president Adilson Xavier, who also serves as chief creative officer in Brazil.

“Aurelio has the leadership skills and well-rounded experience that more than qualify him to continue to fortify our Latin American operations,” said Laurence Boschetto, CEO and president of Draftfcb. “Over the course of his 25-year career, he has been a pioneer in the fields of Relationship Marketing and Database Marketing in Brazil. For more than half of his professional life, he worked on the client side for companies like IBM, Shell and Banco Nacional, so he has first-hand experience with the challenges today’s clients face, always driving fully integrated and accountable marketing solutions.”

In 1995, Lopes moved to the agency side, heading Datamidia, which in a little more than five years ranked as the largest Relationship Marketing Agency in Brazil, one renowned for integrating Direct, Digital and Database Marketing into cohesive strategies. Datamidia was acquired by what was then True North in 2000.

Following the creation of Draftfcb three years ago, Lopes was named President of the agency’s Brazilian operations which include Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Brasilia. Just last year Lopes was elected to the ABEMD (Brazilian Direct Marketing Association) Hall of Fame.

Lopes graduated in Statistics from ENCE-RJ, and completed a graduate course in Economic Engineering at UFRJ and then an Executive MBA at COPPEAD – UFRJ.

“Over the past several months, Rafael has been busy ensuring a smooth transition, which included identifying Aurelio as his successor. I am grateful for his leadership,” added Boschetto. “Following our 2006 merger, he was passionately committed to establishing our new model on the ground. In the process, he was a zealot in developing the H.R. function, training, metrics, and overall performance management, while building a performance culture of collaboration and camaraderie across borders and time zones that has consistently delivered against its financial targets. He has also ensured that we have a strong network of like-minded affiliates to partner with in building our clients’ brands.”

“Rafael has built a tremendous foundation in Latin America for all of us to collectively build upon,” said Lopes. “I am honored and excited to be taking on this important role.”

Added Jonathan Harries, Draftfcb vice chairman and global chief creative officer, “Our Latin American region – and Brazil – continue to be in very strong hands. Aurelio is well-qualified to take on this expanded job. And for his part, Adilson plays an inspiring role at the local, regional and global levels, continually helping to raise our creative bar. He is a valuable part of the global creative leadership team that sets our creative strategy and he is also one of the best known creative directors in Latin America.”

About Draftfcb
Draftfcb is the first holistic, global marketing communications agency to operate against a single P&L, with a network that spans 96 countries and employs more than 9,500 people. The agency is driven by The 6.5 Seconds That MatterSM, a creative expression recognizing the brief period of time marketers have to capture consumers’ attention and motivate them to act. With nearly 140 years of combined expertise, Draftfcb has roots in both consumer advertising and behavioral, data-driven direct marketing. It firmly believes there is no way to separate creativity from accountability, which it refers to as Return on IdeasSM. The agency is part of the Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG). For more information, visit www.draftfcb.com.