Clear Channel Outdoor Americas Strengthens Leadership Team to Drive Outdoor Advertising Momentum
Gene Leehan, 24-Year Advertising Veteran, Joins Company to Grow the Business by Offering Advertisers Innovative Opportunities to Reach Consumers With Digital
class="page-strong">NEW YORK - July 2, 2012 - Clear Channel Outdoor Americas (NYSE: CCO), the global leader in outdoor advertising, today announced the hiring of 24-year advertising veteran Gene Leehan as Senior Regional President to manage the 12 largest markets in the U.S. as well as the Airports, Malls and Spectacolor businesses.
Leehan will bring a fresh direction to the Clear Channel Outdoor business as it leverages its reach and creativity for advertisers. He joins Clear Channel Outdoor Americas from his own consultancy business over the past 18 months. Before that, he served as Regional President for the West Region for Clear Channel Outdoor. Leehan worked in the outdoor advertising business since 1986 in various roles with Eller Media and Patrick Media Group.
In addition to adding Leehan to the team, Greg McGrath will be taking on the newly created role of Senior Vice President for Innovation and Strategic Partnerships. This new role will focus on unlocking innovation and creativity being developed within Clear Channel Outdoor and by partners to drive the best results for advertisers. The growing excitement among advertisers for digital billboards has opened the door to exciting innovations that McGrath will drive in his new role.
As global, regional and local advertisers recognize the growing value outdoor advertising can deliver to their brands and bottom line, Clear Channel Outdoor has restructured its leadership team to steer the innovation and creativity of the business while driving the performance of the business.
“I am very pleased that we are able to add a leader of Gene’s caliber to help drive our business in the U.S. at this critical time,” said William Eccleshare, CEO of Clear Channel Outdoor. “Our new leadership team is in place at a time when we have reinvented outdoor advertising, through both innovation and the dedication to working with advertising and marketing partners to offer them creative solutions to more effectively and efficiently reach their consumers.”
“I am very excited to be re-joining Clear Channel Outdoor at this exciting time for the company and for the outdoor advertising industry,” said Gene Leehan. “I have been in this business for 24 years and this time represents the biggest transformation in this industry that I have seen. As a pioneering leader in the industry, Clear Channel Outdoor remains the company best positioned to lead this transformation.”