Rapp raids Accenture Song for new global agency boss

Rapp has finally appointed a new global chief executive to succeed Marco Scognamiglio, who stepped down in after eight years in the role in April this year, over 25 years after he first joined the agency as a client director.

Jeannine Falcone joins the agency from Accenture Song, where she most recently global marketing services and strategic integration lead, playing a key role in driving the strategy and evolution of its offerings.

Over the past ten years, Falcone built and led many of the agency’s marketing practice areas, service offerings, and managed its largest accounts.

She also previously held the role of global and North America marketing and communications lead, where she led the acquisition and integration of several major agencies, including WireStone, MXM, Droga5 and ConcentricLife.

Before joining Accenture, Falcone was the president of Harte Hanks Agency Services.

In her new role, she will be responsible for overseeing all aspects of Rapp’s business and operations; currently Rapp has about 50 offices in 30 countries worldwide.

In the UK, the agency is based on Bankside in London and headed by chief executive Gabby Ludzker. Chris Freeland left his position as executive chair for the UK and APAC in July, eight years after joining the agency as CEO.

Omnicom Precision Marketing Group chief operating officer Kathy Simmel has been acting as global CEO since Scognamiglio stepped down; she will now return to her previous duties.

OPMG chief executive Luke Taylor said: “Jeannine’s track record of building world-class teams and driving business transformation makes her the perfect fit to lead Rapp into its next phase of growth. Her background in precision marketing and deep experience in the automotive, healthcare, and financial services industries aligns beautifully with the work Rapp is doing for its clients.”

“We are deeply grateful to Marco for his leadership and contributions, we look forward to building on the strong foundation he has established and wish him well in his retirement.”

Falcone said: “I have always admired Rapp from afar, especially during my tenure at Harte Hanks through our shared work with Mercedes-Benz. The opportunity to lead this incredible team at a time when the industry is evolving so rapidly is something I’m very passionate about.

“I’ve loved seeing Rapp’s evolution and how its deep roots in data have allowed it to emerge as a leader in the precision marketing space. I look forward to getting to know the team and seeing what we can accomplish.”