Industry veteran takes the helm as President and CEO.
In a planned leadership succession, Periscope announced that Elizabeth (Liz) Ross joins Periscope as President and CEO. She will take the helm from 17-year veteran Greg Kurowski, who will evolve his role to Vice Chair on a part time basis.
Liz is a 20+ year industry veteran who has worked across a broad selection of agencies and across many clients. Liz previously served as Global CMO of IPG Mediabrands, the media agency for IPG. She was responsible for crafting the vision and positioning for Mediabrands, clearly articulating the points of difference for clients and prospects. Prior to her role as CMO, Liz spent four years at Mediabrands in several different companies, including the creation of BPN in 2012. Under her leadership, BPN NA doubled its billings with major client wins including Hillshire Brands, Morgan Stanley and Famosa Toys. In 2013, BPN was named “the fastest growing media agency” by RECMA. Prior to this role, Liz served as CEO of Geomentum and CEO of IPG Mediabrands Ventures, North America.
Liz rose to the role of Chief Growth Officer at Publicis Groupe’s Digitas after serving as U.S. President at Tribal DDB, overseeing the Clorox, Visa and Pepsi Cola teams in the U.S. Liz previously spent time at Modem Media in San Francisco, where she led the business development groups in San Francisco and Norwalk, Conn. There, she pioneered interactive brand-consumer relationships for clients such as General Motors, Delta, General Electric, HP, Michelin, Citibank and IBM. Prior to Modem, Liz worked in Business Development and Account Management for J. Walter Thompson in Chicago and New York. She served on various accounts such as Dell, Continental Airlines, 20th Century Fox, Kraft, Mattel and Nabisco.
Liz was inducted into the AAF (American Advertising Federation) Hall of Achievement in 2008 and was named a Woman to Watch by Advertising Age in 2008. More recently, she was elected to the Board of Directors for the AAF and won Top 10 Mobile Marketer by the Mobile Media Association in 2014. She also has served as a Cannes juror. Liz received a Bachelor's degree in Advertising from Michigan State University.
When asked why Periscope, Liz had this to say, “In today’s complex marketing world, clients are increasingly looking for companies that can recommend solutions to real business problems. Companies that are limited in their capabilities tend to recommend limited solutions. Periscope has an unbelievable set of capabilities across shopper, advertising, experiential and media. It is an organization poised for more growth and I am thrilled to be a part of it.”
“Also, I absolutely love Periscope’s mission ‘Do Things People Love’. Marketing and advertising has lost much of its magic and when we connect with things people actually love, we can’t help but be successful,” said Liz.
“We’re delighted to have Liz join our team—after a thorough and intense national search, we’re confident Liz is the perfect individual to drive continued success and growth,” said Bill Simpson, Periscope owner and Chairman. “Liz is a great fit for us because of her strength in digital and media, along with a deep belief in creative impact. She knows how to use all of our marketing tools to solve complex client problems. She also believes in the power of culture, which is so critical as we’ve created a truly unique environment for highly talented people to work and grow.”
Liz will take over day-to-day agency leadership and oversight immediately. She will have the benefit of a highly tenured Executive Committee made up of senior level executives that have been with the firm for an average of 16 years. Greg will continue his involvement, shifting his role to Vice Chair, working part time and joining Bill Simpson on the board. In short, Periscope envisions a smooth and effective transition for clients and employees as they plan to continue their phenomenal growth trajectory.
Read more in Ad Age, the Star Tribune and the Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal.
