Leadership

Josh McCall
Chairman & CEO

Our success has always been about creating the most inspiring experiences and showing clients the return that grows their businesses and their brands.

Josh McCall became CEO in 2003 and added the title of Chairman in 2007. Through his stewardship, the agency has grown globally from the US, Europe and Hong Kong to meeting growing demand in China and other emerging markets. Under his leadership, the agency has invested in enhanced planning and measurement expertise and capabilities to create digital experiences.

Josh joined Jack Morton’s New York office in 1984 and demonstrated a passion for client service and helping companies build brand advocacy. By developing strong relationships with key regional clients, he led Jack Morton’s Boston office opening in 1990. In 1993 he became Executive Vice President and in 2000 he became the company’s President and Chief Operating Officer.

Josh frequently contributes thought leadership to professional groups and business and trade publications, including Advertising Age and PR Week. He has addressed groups including the Ad Club, the Wharton School of Business and The World Congress of Sports. He serves on the board of City Year Boston and on the Advisory Committee for the Harvard Partners Center for Genetics and Genomics. In 2009, Josh was inducted into the International Special Events Society (ISES) Hall of Legends.

Bill Davies
Chief Financial Officer

Great agencies are financially responsible, focused and transparent. That translates to delivering the best value to clients.

Bill Davies joined Jack Morton in 2002 as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. He is responsible for the company’s global financial strategy and operations as well as information services, real estate, insurance and legal matters.

Prior to joining Jack Morton, Bill served as Senior Vice President for The Interpublic Group of Companies’ (IPG) Advanced Marketing Services group. He served as CFO of Weber Public Relations Worldwide and Shandwick International in 2000. Bill joined The Weber Group in 1990, where he implemented comprehensive financial systems and state-of-the-art technology that improved internal communications and productivity.

Bill played a leading role in Weber’s 1996 acquisition by McCann-Erickson World Group, resulting in a global full-service public relations agency that has grown through expansion and acquisitions.

Charlotte Merrell
EVP
Worldwide Human Resources

Our people are our brand. So my passion is attracting, growing and supporting the best talent out there.

Charlotte Merrell leads Jack Morton’s worldwide Human Resources operations and is charged with building the infrastructure and processes that will enable it to attract, develop, motivate and retain the talent needed to achieve its business objectives.

Charlotte joined Jack Morton in 2001, following a consulting relationship in which she assisted Jack Morton in a comprehensive compensation project that aligned pay practices with evolving business models. Additionally, she was integral in managing Jack Morton’s acquisition of Caribiner International.

Prior to joining Jack Morton, Charlotte was a Senior Consultant and head of the Reward Practice in the HayGroup’s Boston office. She earned an MBA from the Harvard School of Business.

Bill Boris-Schacter
EVP
Operations and Client Finances

Operational efficiency means our clients have a seamless experience with us—one where they see the value of every dollar invested.

As EVP, Operations and Client Finance, Bill Boris-Schacter works with agency leadership to ensure operational efficiency and oversee client compensation and contract administration for key US and global accounts. He also supervises in-house teams including Logistics and Technical Education, US Technical Services, Digital Studio, Entertainment and Speakers and the Production Procurement department.

Bill joined Jack Morton in 1992 as Director of Production for the Boston office. In 2001, he served as Acting General Manager for Jack Morton’s Australia operation. After returning to Boston, Bill became SVP of Operations and Client Finance and played an important oversight role in US production operations. Bill has led the pricing and contractual negotiations with many key accounts including Gillette, Intel, HP, eBay, Monster.com, Hyundai and VMware.

Prior to joining Jack Morton, Bill earned a Juris Doctor from New England School of Law.

Tara Back
EVP,
Managing Director
New York

With more than a decade’s experience at Jack Morton in management positions on two continents, Tara is a key catalyst in the agency’s ongoing success.

In December 2008, Tara assumed the role of Executive Vice President and Managing Director. Her move to New York followed a successful five-year tenure as Managing Director for the agency’s operations in Australia.

She built award-winning creative-led teams in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, as well as a new business effort that resulted in blue-chip client partnerships including Microsoft, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Sony, Ford, British American Tobacco and Casella Wines. In addition, Tara was instrumental in leading the Jack Morton team through the process of successfully pitching and then producing the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games.

Julian Pullan
EVP
Managing Director
EMEA

Julian Pullan joined Jack Morton in 2002 as Director of Operations in London and became Managing Director in 2005. Under his leadership the European operation has grown significantly in size and reputation. In January 2009, Julian joined the Executive Team as EVP, EMEA.

In Julian's 23 years in the business he has been responsible for major communications projects for numerous clients, including Toyota, Lexus, Philips, Shell, the British Government, Ericsson, Nokia, HP, Barclays and over 100 projects for General Motors Europe.

Julian frequently contributes to trade publications in the UK. His work has won over 30 creative awards and he has served as a member of the board of the International Visual Communications Association.

Paula DeFeo
SVP
Managing Director
Norwalk

Behind-the-scenes technology is integral to keeping up with evolving expectations of our audiences as they demand more seamless integration and customization in their experiences.

As Managing Director, Paula DeFeo leads both Jack Morton’s technical training practice and conference management team. A 15-year veteran of events “powered by technology,” she remains intimately involved in the development, growth and enhancements of event marketing competencies and tools.

Paula works collaboratively with a large staff ranging from technologists to planners across Jack Morton’s global network. Her standardized and sustainable techniques and strategies have been used over the years by industry leaders such as IBM, Nortel, HP, Lotus, CA, Lenovo and General Motors.

Pat McClellan
SVP
Managing Director
San Francisco

Never stop learning. Do something hard.

As Managing Director of Jack Morton’s San Francisco office, Pat McClellan is responsible for meeting clients ’ business goals by creating innovative and effective programs and campaigns. He accomplishes this by recruiting, retaining and motivating the most talented people in the industry.

Since joining Jack Morton in 1998, Pat has led teams in a variety of roles ranging from production to creative director to strategist. He has worked with industry-leading clients including, eBay, VMWare, Microsoft, Cisco, The Home Depot, Apple, PeopleSoft, Intel, Walt Disney Imagineering and Motorola. Pat also leads Jack Morton’s Global Tech Practice.

With 25 years of communications and strategic experience, Pat has won numerous awards for his work on consumer promotions, video and interactive software programs.

Pat is a frequent blogger on JACK360 and drives a Prius that gets him 50 mpg.

Bob Denby
SVP
Managing Director
Jack Morton Exhibits

After 30 years in this business, one thing remains the same regardless of technology or trends—engaging people on a personal level is the most effective way to make them feel connected to a brand.

As Managing Director of Jack Morton Exhibits, Bob Denby has been the guiding hand behind the group’s transformation from a boutique exhibit house into a nationally recognized leader in the exhibits and tradeshow industry.

Under Bob’s leadership, Jack Morton Exhibits, a specialized practice group within Jack Morton, combines high-end fabrication of tradeshows, mobile tours, broadcast sets and architectural interiors with white-glove customer service.

Over the years Bob has spearheaded projects for Johnson & Johnson, Intel, Bank of America, Turner Broadcasting and recently gained traction with NASCAR trackside experiences for both Texas Instruments and ESPN.

Helen Graney
VP, Managing Director
Australia

As Managing Director, Australia, Helen Graney oversees Jack Morton’s Australia operations in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. For the past ten years with Jack Morton, she has combined her understanding of excellent client service with an ability to translate business objectives into communication strategy and deliverable projects.

Most recently as Director of Client Services, Helen contributed to a significant growth in client relationships that is reflected in Jack Morton’s leading agency profile in Australia.

Previously, Helen served as Account Director for several years working with key accounts across a wide range of industries, improving her understanding of their business objectives and the company culture. Her experience across employee engagement projects allowed Helen to play a pivotal role in the growth of Australia’s Brand Inside work.

Liz Bigham
SVP
Director of Brand Marketing

There’s nothing like experiencing a brand first-hand to inspire people’s passion and belief. It just makes sense to me that brands will increasingly invest in experiential moving forward.

Liz Bigham joined Jack Morton in 1999 to build and leverage one of its most powerful assets: its brand. Under her leadership, Jack Morton has developed the experiential marketing industry’s premier agency brand, supported by a spectrum of thought leadership, research, sales and marketing tools, PR and online engagement.

Liz is a frequent blogger and speaker at industry events from Event Marketer’s Experiential Marketing Summit in Chicago to the first African Experiential Marketing Conference in Johannesburg.

A magna cum laude graduate of Barnard College, Liz received an MPhil in Art History from Columbia University and worked in curatorial positions at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art and Museum for African Art prior to joining Jack Morton.

Ben Taylor
SVP
Managing Director
Asia-Pacific

Experiential marketing is all about relationships—fostering, strengthening and expanding them. That’s why experiential is so relevant in Asia: it’s a society that considers relationships paramount to everything else.

As SVP, Managing Director Asia-Pacific, Ben Taylor’s role is to oversee Jack Morton’s operations in Hong Kong, Beijing and Australia. Ben joined in 2005 to head up Jack Morton’s presence and expansion in China and build teams and a growing client portfolio throughout the region.

Under Ben’s leadership, Jack Morton’s Asia operations now work for many of the world’s leading organizations including adidas, HSBC, Dow Chemical, Johnson & Johnson, Dell, IBM and Coca-Cola.

Ben started his first events company at the age of 15 in the UK and has been in the industry ever since—producing impressive experiences including Dow Chemical’s Beijing Olympic Program, UBS’s Greater China Conference, Coca-Cola’s Strategy Meetings and the launch of the London “Gherkin”.

Steve Mooney
SVP
Managing Director
Boston

Conversations are taking interesting forms lately. Consider what teenagers mean when they say: "Of course, I talk to them all the time." Consider what 30-year-olds mean when they talk about their experiences. People in their communities are engaging in so many different kinds of conversations and such a fascinating variety of experiences.

As Managing Director of Jack Morton’s Boston office, Steve Mooney oversees the development of multi-year agency relationships dedicated to building and activating brands for clients. He has succeeded with a strong focus on the agency’s digital and strategic planning offerings.

Since he joined Jack Morton, Steve has played various roles from creative and production to management. He has even dabbled in training. Most recently, Steve has helped form Jack Morton's Experiential Planning Group, worked on integrated campaigns for Harvard Business School, BlackBerry and Fidelity and ridden on Team JACK in the Pan Mass Challenge.

Steve is a strong advocate of using technology to make new connections and is a frequent contributor to Jack Morton’s twitter feed.

Julie Nelson
SVP
Managing Director
Gaithersburg

It’s my job to ensure that our financial systems are efficient and incorporate strong internal controls so our clients know they are working with a trusted and stable partner.

Julie Nelson joined Jack Morton in 1995 as Director of Financial Planning.  Through the years she’s assumed new responsibilities including Managing Director of the Gaithersburg office which serves as Jack Morton’s US accounting headquarters. In 2008, her team was charged with the additional role of managing sister agency Octagon’s North American accounting operations.

Prior to joining Jack Morton, Julie worked in the aerospace, healthcare and software industries. She is a Certified Public Accountant and received her MBA from George Washington University.

Luis Montero
SVP
Managing Director
Los Angeles

The Latino community places tremendous value on personal engagement—a natural fit for what experiential does best.

Since becoming SVP, Managing Director of Jack Morton’s Los Angeles office in 2008, Luis Montero has led expanded relationships with clients such as Honda, Hyundai, Activision and others.

Luis also leads Jack Morton Latino, a specialized practice area within the agency. Luis established Jack Morton Latino to create culturally relevant experiences that engage Latino audiences across the country and the acculturation spectrum. As leader of Jack Morton Latino, Luis has overseen campaigns for clients including Alltel Wireless, Latina Magazine, McDonald’s and Johnson & Johnson.

Prior to joining Jack Morton, Luis was a strategy consultant for Grey Advertising in New York and for The Coca-Cola Company, working across Latin America and Europe.

Ted Przybocki
SVP
Managing Director
Detroit

“We are unique in the marketing communications world in that we’ve been talking to audiences face-to-face for 70 years. Culturally, we approach marketing from a theatrical point of view with that deep understanding of how to make strong, emotional and memorable connections with people through digital and live experiences.”

As part of the Management team of Jack Morton’s Detroit office, Ted Przybocki, Senior Vice President, has a 25-year tenure in marketing communications, creating innovative and effective campaigns for dealer, internal, news media and consumer audiences.

Since joining Jack Morton in 1995, Ted has created and managed programs for clients such as GM, Chevrolet, Cadillac, Pontiac and Saturn. Ted has also been instrumental in creating successful grass roots marketing campaigns targeting Hispanic / Latino consumers, and has led teams in producing prestigious public events such as the 35th and 37th Ryder Cup Opening and Closing Ceremonies.

Larry Deutsch
SVP
Managing Director & Consumer Practice Leader
Chicago

Insight-inspired ideas is the key to marketing innovation.

Larry Deutsch joined Jack Morton in 2007 as the Managing Director of Jack Morton’s Chicago office and global Consumer Practice Leader. Over the course of his 25-year career, he has helped some of the most recognized agencies and brands to grow.

Larry’s experience is a unique blend of consulting, client-side brand management and agency leadership. Prior to Jack Morton, Larry was Managing Director at OgilvyAction, where his teams created award-winning experiential marketing campaigns including the Motorola StudioMoto tour which earned Event Marketer magazine’s Grand EX Award. Larry’s work has also been recognized by the PMA Reggie, PROMO Magazine PRO and AMA SPIRE Awards.

An active contributor to the marketing industry, Larry served on the Promotion Marketing Association’s Board of Directors and was an original member of the Event Marketing Council. Larry earned his MBA from the University of Michigan and graduated magna cum laude from the University of Illinois.