LOS ANGELES (June 22, 2015) — Team One – Saatchi & Saatchi’s fully integrated premium, luxury, and aspirational brand agency, and part of the Publicis Groupe global network – today announced that Julie Michael has been named its new president effective August 1. She will replace Paul Mareski, president since 2009, who will be leaving to pursue his dream to relocate his family to his hometown of Detroit and participate in the city’s rebirth.

Michael, who currently serves as executive director, account management overseeing the agency’s Lexus National and Dealer Association accounts, has been with the shop for 18 years. During this time, she has held a number of senior management positions, including director of experiential marketing, director of business development, and executive director leading numerous agency clients, among them The Ritz-Carlton, Marriott, HSBC Premier, Häagen-Dazs International, American Express, Flexjet, Icelandic Glacial, Anaheim Ducks, Northern Trust, and Procter & Gamble.

“Julie is a proven executive and visionary leader who enjoys the respect and esteem of both clients and agency colleagues,” said Kurt Ritter, chairman/CEO Team One and Saatchi & Saatchi LA, chairman Canada. “She has been in all the right chairs to provide exceptional leadership in this position, and we are pleased and fortunate to be able to name her as our new president.”

In announcing Michael’s new role as president, Team One also identified her replacement. Paul Silverman will move into the position of executive director, account management and will also head the agency’s Texas office as managing director when it opens to serve client Lexus in its impending move of its North American headquarters to Plano, Texas.

Most recently, Silverman has been executive director, communications, with oversight to the agency’s Media, Public Relations, and Experiential Marketing & Strategic Alliances teams. In addition to this role, he has also had account management oversight of Team One’s business outside of Lexus, including The Ritz-Carlton, HSBC Premier and Häagen-Dazs International. As a 22- year veteran of the Saatchi & Saatchi organization, Silverman has held key leadership positions in Media, Account Management and Strategy. Before joining Team One in 2005, Silverman helped lead the Toyota business at Saatchi & Saatchi LA.

Paul Mareski’s departure in August to focus on family follows six years as president of Team One. ”The decision to leave a job and people I love was not easy. But family, both nuclear and extended, is my top priority. This move allows our children to grow up with 14 of their cousins just blocks from our new home in Birmingham, Mich.,” said Mareski.

Mareski began his career at Young & Rubicam in Detroit and went on to hold several leadership positions with the agency overseeing aspects of the Lincoln-Mercury business. He joined Team One in 2000 to work on the Lexus account, left briefly in 2004 to serve as vice president of advertising for Mitsubishi, before rejoining the agency as executive director, account management. In 2008, Mareski moved to sister agency Saatchi & Saatchi LA as president.

“Under Paul’s leadership, Team One has become a trailblazer in the digital marketing world, increased its philanthropic endeavors, and in 2014 was named to both OUTSIDE magazine’s Best Places to Work and Ad Age‘s Best Places to Work list,” said Ritter. “He will be missed, but we also wish him all the very best as he embarks on this exciting time in his life.”

Chris Graves remains Team One’s chief creative officer, a position he has held since joining the agency in 2003.

About Team One
Team One is Saatchi & Saatchi's fully integrated premium, luxury, and aspirational brand agency, and part of the Publicis Groupe global network. With its very first campaign, Team One became a part of one of the most successful brand launches in history. The company’s storied introduction of the Lexus brand — from unlikely challenger to the top-selling luxury nameplate in the U.S. — turned out to be just the beginning. Since then, expertly launching the remarkable, including ideas, brands, products and careers of the 495 current employees has become the agency’s hallmark. The agency has five North American offices including the Los Angeles headquarters, New York, Chicago, Atlanta and Washington, D.C. Current clients include: Lexus, Lexus Dealer Association, The Ritz-Carlton, HSBC Premier, Häagen-Dazs International, Indian Motorcycle, 2K, Icelandic Glacial, Marriott Hotels and Resorts, and CBS Watch! magazine. Visit Team One’s website at TeamOne-USA.com, on Facebook at Facebook.com/TeamOneUSA, or follow the agency on Twitter at @TeamOneUSA.