Keane quits Publicis for top Weight Watchers job

Slimming brand Weight Watchers has appointed Publicis managing partner Miriam Jordan Keane to the newly created role of chief brand officer. She will report to chief executive Linda Hewitt.

In her new role, based in the US, Keane will be responsible for the global brand development of Weight Watchers.

Keane joined Publicis last September after a three-year spell at now-defunct agency Bates UK, where she was client services director and headed the Heinz Weight Watchers account.

At Publicis she helped to set up Publicis Focus, an operation launched less than a year ago to handle women’s fashion and health accounts. At Focus she has been responsible for Biotherm, Duchy Original, Lancôme and the Iron Bed Company accounts.

Before working for Bates UK, Keane was at Young & Rubicam, which she joined from Grey where she ran its SmithKline Beecham (now GlaxoSmithKline) business in the UK. Prior to that she was at Saatchi & Saatchi, where she was an account director on Procter & Gamble’s beauty division until 1996.

Keane will start at Weight Watchers in October. She says: “This is an international job created for me. The remit for the new role is being discussed at the moment.”

Earlier this year Weight Watchers hired FCB and Publicis for its £11m European advertising business. The UK creative account is held by Frog and media is handled by Carat.