Alexandra Panousis Named CEO of Starcom Mediavest

Starcom MediaVest Group (SMG) has promoted former Starcom president Alexandra Panousis to CEO of its Canadian operations. She succeeds media agency veteran Bruce Neve, who is leaving the company after four years.

Announcing the appointment, Iain Jacob, president of SMG’s EMA operations, called Panousis a “very talented leader” with an impressive record of delivering growth and new thinking.

“She is an incredible agent of positive change and has been instrumental in driving SMG’s transformation in Canada,” he said.

Panousis has served as president of Starcom since 2010, promoted from her former role as SVP, group media director, where she was in charge of media strategy development.

Neve took over as CEO of SMG Canada in May 2011 after a long career with Group M’s MEC Canada. Jacob said SMG has seen “significant gains” in the digital space under Neve’s leadership, noting he played a major role in making the network a “force to be reckoned with.”

SMG posted overall media activity of C$745 million in 2013, according to the most recent report from Paris-based RECMA, representing a 24% increase over 2012. It controlled an estimated 4.6% of the Canadian market.