Burnett man moves to Webmedia

Online agency Webmedia has poached Peter Beech from ad agency Leo Burnett to become its new managing director.

The appointment follows a top management restructure and demerger of the company, which has seen Webmedia’s long-standing managing director Steve Bowbrick become chief executive and chairman of the 37-strong agency.

Last month, the company announced that its sister outfit NetNames was being demerged from Web media through an equity buyout by Ivan Pope, Bowbrick’s fellow co-founder of Webmedia.

Beech, currently head of interactive marketing and new media at Leo Burnett, will take up his new position in mid-October, and will assume the day-to-day management of the company.

Meanwhile, Bowbrick will “concentrate on the long-term creative and strategic development”.

Beech is a former director of rival new media agency CHBi, where he handled clients including Direct Line and The Savoy Group of Hotels. He joined Leo Burnett in January this year, where he has worked on site developments for brands including Kellogg and Hula Hoops.

“The Internet industry and Webmedia have evolved at a cracking pace, and it was time to bring in someone with marketing agency management experience,” says Bowbrick.