Digital media agency MEC fills senior UK roles from within.

MEC has promoted Stuart Bowden to Head of Strategy, Verica Djurdjevic to Client Service Director and has further augmented its senior planning team.

MEC, a leading media agency and part of WPP's media investment management company GroupM, has promoted Stuart Bowden to Head of Strategy in the UK, effective immediately. Stuart's role will focus on continuing to drive integrated planning solutions for clients - bringing together the specialist skills of digital, direct, sponsorship and partnership marketing. Stuart originally joined MEC in 2007 from BT.

In addition, MEC have augmented their senior planning team with the appointment of John Paul Cadman as Strategy Director. With over 10 years experience in both UK and international roles - including both at MEC and OMD - John Paul brings significant skills in workshop facilitation and training alongside his planning expertise.

Stuart Bowden's promotion and the addition of John Paul follows continued investment by MEC into its senior planning team, originally established in 2007. The team, headed by Stuart Sullivan-Martin, Chief Strategy Officer, brings together a mix of skills and backgrounds, and includes Pete Kemp: Strategy Director (formerly of Naked, Initiative Media and Netpoll), Ian Edwards: Strategy Director (a Media Week 30 under 30 and a recent winner of the ‘Outstanding Body of Work' for the IPA Diploma) and Chetan Murthy: Strategist (headhunted from Carat in 2008), along with Stuart Bowden and John Paul Cadman.

Verica Djurdjevic, a former member of the team, has been promoted to Client Service Director, one of five in the agency charged with overseeing MEC's client teams. Verica joined MEC in 2002 and will now oversee clients including Sony Ericsson, Specsavers, Wickes, Henkel and Accenture.

Chief Strategy Office, Stuart Sullivan-Martin said: ‘The MEC business continues to grow and one factor in that success has been the quality of our communications planning. Nevertheless we are determined to keep innovating and Stuart's new role will help us deliver on our mission to create more and more integrated planning for our clients. Verica has earned promotion into a senior client management role reflecting her diverse skills, and I'm also delighted to welcome John Paul back to MEC - another seriously smart planner who will add to what is already a formidable and fun strategy group.'