SicolaMartin’s Steve Martin To Step Down As CEO
Written on March 16th, 2010
Written on March 16th, 2010
Agency CEO Empowers Next Generation with Cherie Cox at Helm
As marketing and advertising agency SicolaMartin enters its 25th year, founder and CEO Steve Martin today announced that he will be stepping down as CEO but will remain at the agency as non-executive Chairman, working on special assignments and serving as a senior advisor. He is succeeded by Cherie Cox, a 17-year veteran of the agency, who was chosen by both Martin and co-founder Tom Sicola in 2008 to be the agency’s President. As such, she has already been leading day-to-day operations and business development since that time in partnership with Diane McKinnon, EVP and Executive Creative Director.
“I feel both pride and excitement about SicolaMartin’s next chapter. Tom Sicola and I shaped and built this agency over the years. But it is up to the next generation to carry it forward,” said Steve Martin. “We have carefully planned for this day and Cherie is not only prepared and proven, she is a gifted natural. She’s going to be fantastic,” he added.
Mrs. Cox joined SicolaMartin 17 years ago. Prior to her promotion to President two years ago, she was most recently the agency’s SVP, Managing Partner.
“We deeply appreciate the incredible commitment and influence that Steve has had at SicolaMartin and for our industry, and we are excited about the future. We have a strong and creative agency with great people, great clients and an amazing corporate culture,” said Cherie Cox.
Steve Martin has been a leading figure in the Austin advertising and business community for many years. Through his leadership, the agency has received countless creative and industry awards. In 2001, he was named Austin’s Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year. Supported by his personal commitment to a strong culture, SicolaMartin has made Texas Monthly’s list of Best Companies to Work for in Texas for the past 5 years. He has chaired or served on multiple boards and his pro-bono activities have included the American Cancer Society, the United Way, Austin Children’s Shelter, the Go Texan Program, Breast Cancer Resource Centers of Texas, and many others.
“This is the perfect way for me to continue to support the agency while allowing me time to focus more energy on pro-bono efforts and several special projects that I am extremely passionate about,” Martin added.
Austin, Texas-based SicolaMartin is an advertising and marketing agency that turns marketing complexities into compelling ideas. For more than 20 years, the agency has created powerful connections between brands and their customers in industries such as enterprise technology, consumer electronics, managed services, healthcare, telecom and supply chain management and logistics. Industry leaders, including AMD, Blu-ray Disc, McLane, SAP, Sybase and Dell have relied on SicolaMartin for innovative marketing solutions. For the past five years, SicolaMartin has been voted one of Best Companies to Work for in Texas by Texas Monthly magazine. The agency is a wholly owned subsidiary of Young & Rubicam Brands. For more information, visit http://www.sicolamartin.com .
