Change At The Helm @ The Bravo Group.

Ann Fudge, Chairman and CEO of Young & Rubicam Brands, announced that Daisy Exposito is stepping down after 23 years at The Bravo Group. Under Exposito’s vision and leadership, The Bravo Group has grown to become one the country’s largest providers of integrated marketing services, targeting the high-potential U.S. Hispanic and multicultural markets.

To guide The Bravo Group forward, Fudge has appointed Gary Bassell Chairman & CEO, effective December 1, 2004. Bassell joins the agency from celebrated creative shop La Comunidad, where he most recently was President. At the same time, Bravo’s President, Linda DeJesus-Cutler, has added Chief Operating Officer to her title.

“We are deeply grateful for Daisy’s leadership and tremendous success over many years,” said Fudge. “Daisy leaves behind the finest type of legacy — a company that has vision and values, an impressive roster of brands and a team dedicated to our client partners. We wish her success and have no doubt she will continue to make tremendous contributions to our industry and the community.”

“I am also excited about Bravo’s future. Gary is a team-builder and a team player,” stated Ann Fudge. “He is devoted to his client partners, full of new ideas and committed to the people who work for him. It’s a winning mix that has resulted in fabulous work, vital growth and a stellar reputation in the Hispanic marketing arena. Importantly, he will find a wonderful partner in Linda DeJesus-Cutler, who has been an integral part of the Bravo success story for the past 15 years.”

As President of La Comunidad, Bassell has led the management team at this highly successful start-up agency, deploying a near-perfect record of capturing new business, generating breakthrough business and communications strategies and creating award-winning work for such brands as Citibank, Volkswagen, Best Buy, Subway, Virgin Mobile, Perry Ellis, MTV/VH1 and Nordstrom.

Prior to La Comunidad, Bassell spent nine years at Bates Worldwide in New York and Miami, where he led Bates’ Latin America regional headquarters team and U.S. Hispanic market agency. As President of BatesSouth, he grew such brands as Miller Brewing Company, SONY, Energizer, MTV and others. He led the agency to uncommon creative accomplishments as evidenced by its status as a three-time AAAA’s Agency-of-the Year O’Toole Award Finalist.” In addition to his agency leadership background, Bassell began his career in publishing as the Associate Publisher of Euromoney PLC / Latin Finance, the first international trade magazine to focus on business opportunities in Latin America.

Commenting on his appointment, Bassell stated, “This is about being in the right place at the right time. There’s no more exciting place to be just now when hyphenated America, ethnic America, is redefining consumerism and pop culture in this country. The Bravo Group and Young & Rubicam Brands have truly distinguished legacies, but what most impresses me is that they are building on them to construct a vibrant, of-the-moment resource capable of keeping pace with the evolving dynamics challenging marketers today.”

Linda De Jesus-Cutler has been President of The Bravo Group since 2002. She joined over 15 years ago in account management and has held key management positions at Bravo in both New York and San Francisco.