Razorfish’s global chief media officer has resigned, becoming the latest seasoned digital exec to exit a Publicis-owned agency.
Jeff Lanctot’s departure, first reported by Digiday, comes close on the heels of Razorfish CEO Bob Lord’s exit for the top job at AOL Networks. Speaking with AdExchanger, Lanctot said Lord’s exit was a motivating factor but that he’s been mulling a change for some time.
“Bob leaving marks a transitional time for the company. It’s probably a good time for a new wave of leadership to come in,” he said.
Lanctot will use the month of August to “semi-unplug and spend time with family” while he considers his next step. He suggested he’s open to running an entrepreneurial venture as CEO or taking a senior role at a more established company. “As far as agencies go, Razorfish is about as good as it gets and so it would have to be a pretty special opportunity on the agency side,” he said.
Lanctot rose up through the ranks at Razorfish through Avenue A, stuck with it through an awkward stint at Microsoft and then for a time left the agency for a platform-side job at the software giant. He returned to Razorfish in a global media-sales role in 2011.
Today, he serves on several startup advisory boards, including Placed and TapJoy.
Lanctot’s is the latest in a string of senior digital talent to jettison from Publicis-owned agencies. Among the other recent departures, detailed in a story here last week, are Colin Kinsella, former CEO of Digitas North America, Digitas CEO Laura Lang and Rosetta CEO Chris Kuune (who remains chairman).
