Stephen Gatfield has been the Chief Executive
Officer of Lowe & Partners Worldwide of
Interpublic Group of Companies Inc., since February
2006 and has been its Executive Vice President,
Strategy and Network Operations since December
16, 2005. Gatfield served as an Executive Vice
President, Global Operations and Innovation
of Interpublic Group of Companies Inc., since
February 2004. He also served as Chief Operating
Officer of Leo Burnett Company from 2001 to
February 2004.
Gatfield was widely lauded for leading the absorption
of the former D'Arcy Masius Benton & Bowles
into the international network of Publicis, which
was accomplished with minimal client and talent
attrition. He also organized the agency's European
region to provide better financial and business
development discipline by establishing a network
of sub-regional development plans. From 1997
to 2000, he served as Regional Managing Director
for the Asia Pacific region of Leo Burnett Worldwide.
During this time, and largely under his stewardship,
the agency added clients including Heineken,
Prudential, Tiger and Wyeth. Gatfield has also
enjoyed considerable success establishing new
models of doing business in the industry. He
stewarded Leo Burnett through two successful
joint ventures with Dentsu: Beacon, a unique
offering combing Leo Burnett, D'Arcy and Saatchi
in Japan with a division of Dentsu, as well
as Orchard, a second Burnett agency in the vital
Indian market, also developed jointly with Dentsu.
In South Africa, he pioneered a radical empowerment
business model with Lobedu Leo Burnett, which
is now cited as one of the best examples of
effective empowerment partnerships in South
Africa. A 20-year veteran of the industry, he
spent nearly his entire career with the Burnett
organization in the United States, United Kingdom
and Asia, first in account management and later,
general management roles. For three years in
the mid-1980s, Gatfield served as a Planning
Director of Saatchi & Saatchi London.
