COI appoints Cross as comms planning boss

by Colin Grimshaw, Media Week 11-Sep-07

The Central Office of Information has appointed Mark Cross, the chairman of mc2 and the former chief executive of PHD Compass, to a new role of communications planning director, reporting to COI chief executive Alan Bishop.

The broad role will encompass all communications channels, including
marketing, media, news - such as the Government News Network - and
interactive channels. The interactive channels were folded into the COI

a year ago.

The Government News Network, the regional arm of Government
communications, became part of the COI two years ago. Thus far, it has
been managed by Bishop.

Cross will take direct responsibility for all the COI's strategic media
planning activities on the agency's £144m annual media spend. This
includes responsibility for the COI's communications planning roster
comprising 14 media and strategic communications agencies, including
Carat, MediaCom, MindShare, Starcom, Universal McCann, PHD and
ZenithOptimedia. The roster is not due to be reviewed until 2010.

Identifying and evaluating emerging channels in interactive areas will
be a crucial part of Cross' responsibilities.

Cross, who takes up a board position at the COI, will be mentored in his
new role by deputy chief executive Peter Buchanan, who will continue to
be ultimately responsible for media buying.

Cross will join the COI in the autumn after he has completed his
consultancy work for the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising on
its TouchPoints project. He, together with his business partner Ivor
Hussein, played a key part in developing and launching the TouchPoints
Survey in 2006.

His marketing and media consultancy mc2 will be wound down. Among Cross'
other clients are Rajar, Saatchi & Saatchi and JCDecaux. He has also
been a board director of Barb for the past seven years.

He began his career in media planning at DMB&B in 1983 before moving on
to Young & Rubicam and Cogent Elliott Group. He established PHD Compass
as a joint venture with PHD in 1996 and left at the end of 2003 to form
mc2.

Bishop said Cross' role would be wide and considerably influential.
Online development would be a key area along with other interactive
channels, which include citizen helplines and contact centres. He added:
"Mark has the insight and experience to ensure we make the most
effective use of the COI's unique array of channels."