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Stein IAS CEO to retire

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Rob Morrice, the CEO of Cheshire-based Stein IAS, has announced his retirement.

Morrice, a mainstay of the media scene has spent the last 30 years of his career with MSQ.

He’ll hand over to Bob Ray, who joins from Merkel B2B.

“It’s been a real honour to work with such a talented team at Stein IAS and around the Group,” said Morrice.

“While I can’t quite believe the time has nearly come to hang up my boots, I’m proud of what we’ve achieved and of leaving the agency prepared and poised for its next chapter. Bob is the right person to take us to this next stage and I wish him all the best in his new role.”

Morrice spoke to Prolific North in 2013 about what he’s learnt during his career:

“I’m single, half fit and I f*****g love it. I never thought I’d value advertising as much as I do now but I really do.” Morrice

“Rob has made a massive contribution to the Group over his 30-odd years with the business. I would like to personally thank him for all he has done and wish him a long and happy retirement,” added MSQ CEO Peter Reid.

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Incoming CEO, Bob Ray has been CEO of Agency Services at Merkel B2B, helping the agency grow its revenue from $50m to $250m in 4 years. He was responsible for a team of 1,200 worldwide, with clients including Cisco, JPMorgan and Amazon Web Services.

He initially joined Merkle B2B following its acquisition of DWA, which he helped grow from a 50-person to 200-person agency in 2 years as Global CEO.

“There’s tremendous energy in the B2B space and this will only grow going forward. There’s a commensurate opportunity right now for an agency and group to step forward and lead in this space. By fusing insight, research, creativity, media, technology and data – from brand to demand – Stein IAS and MSQ can make this aspiration a marketplace reality under Bob’s leadership, and can do so with speed,” said MSQ CEO Peter Reid stated,

Ray will be based in New York and become Executive Chairman of Stein IAS, as well as MSQ B2B. That will see him assume the responsibilities of Morrice.

“I’ve watched Stein IAS and MSQ with interest and admiration over the years and like the trajectory the business is on, its operating model, the team and its ambitions,” he stated.

“Stein IAS celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2023. There are not many, if any, B2B agencies that literally have paced the evolution of the category and that are better placed to seize the mantle of B2B agency leader. As part of MSQ B2B we have the full range of competencies to drive predictable performance for the largest brands in the world.”

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