Global technology specialist agency DWA has announced the appointment of John Farrell as a non-executive Chairman, a position created to help steer the agency through rapid growth and consolidation.

“This latest addition to our senior team is very meaningful for the company,” said DWA CEO David Wood. “John is an extremely well-known and well-respected figure at the highest levels of the international communications agency business, and he joins us as of today to help drive our long-term growth strategy.”

John has spent many years managing worldwide advertising agencies, including D’Arcy, Masius, Benton & Bowles and was mostly recently President and CEO of the Publicis Groupe Specialised Agencies and Marketing Services businesses, where he was responsible for around 35% of Publicis Groupe’s global turnover. Additionally, he was responsible for group wide mergers and acquisitions activity, and was a member of the executive team reporting directly to Maurice Levy.

“I started DWA in London in 1996, and we now have five offices in all major media markets, and we’re announcing three new locations in the first quarter of 2011,” adds David. “We grew 100% last year, and we are on track to expand in a similar fashion this financial year. John brings tremendous international experience to our team as we make increasingly ambitious structural and strategic moves across the globe, to both maintain our market leadership and cement our place on the worldwide stage.”

John’s remit at DWA is to work with David and his senior management team on global strategy and execution. John holds various non-conflicting but complimentary non-exec roles in other companies.

About DWA
With offices in Boston, San Francisco, London, Singapore and Sydney, DWA is the world's largest and most respected media planning and buying agency working exclusively in the technology sector.

Over the last 15 years, DWA has developed campaigns for brand building and lead generation, featuring online, offline, out of home, TV, print and radio. DWA is a media agnostic technology specialist working with leading local and international brand names in each market.

About John Farrell
John has 20-plus years of business and change leadership at CEO level in the communications agency businesses in Europe, North America and across the world. He is strategically oriented in his delivery of business innovation. He is a marketing communications thought leader who has been awarded with academic and industry recognition. John is Honorary President of the Institute of Sales Promotion, and Founder Member of the Direct Marketing Association of Great Britain. John was voted Man of the Millennium by the Sales Promotion Consultants Association, and he is also an Honorary Professor of Marketing at Nottingham Trent University.