June 30, 2006 — The Direct Marketing Association (DMA) has announced a consolidation of its organizational leadership and operating structure to better reflect and deliver on the goals of its strategic plan, which was adopted in January 2005. In support of the plan, the Association has established two new executive vice president positions reporting to DMA President & CEO John A. Greco, Jr.
“The new organizational structure will better position DMA to achieve its strategic goals by providing more focus and balance on membership services,” said Greco. “The consolidation of leadership will also provide me with more opportunities to personally connect with all the DMA communities of interest.”
Effective immediately, Dr. Ramesh Lakshmi-Ratan, DMA’s senior vice president, membership and market development, will assume the role of executive vice president and chief operating officer. In this new role, Dr. Ratan will head the following DMA units: Education & Events, Membership Development, Marketing & Communications, International, Member Councils & Customer Service, DMA Nonprofit Federation, Research & Market Intelligence, Interactive & Emerging Media, and the newly formed Sales & Business Development Unit.
In addition, DMA is conducting an executive search for the newly created position of executive vice president of Government & Consumer Affairs, which will oversee DMA’s work in legislative and regulatory affairs as well as ethics and consumer relations.
As announced on June 21, Ms. Terri L. Bartlett, former executive director of the Toy Industry Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the Toy Industry Association, will become president of the Direct Marketing Educational Foundation (DMEF). Bartlett will take up her new position on July 31, 2006.
Marcel Schloss, senior vice president and chief financial officer, will continue to be responsible for DMA's financial, information technology, and human resources functions.
Frank Rigano, president of Interactive Marketing Solutions (IMS), a DMA subsidiary, will continue in his role.
Also, DMA Board Administration & Support and the remainder of the Executive Office will continue in their respective roles.
Each of these areas will report directly to Greco.
The Direct Marketing Association (www.the-dma.org) is the leading global trade association of business and nonprofit organizations using and supporting multichannel direct marketing tools and techniques. DMA advocates industry standards for responsible marketing, promotes relevance as the key to reaching consumers with desirable offers, and provides cutting-edge research, education, and networking opportunities to improve results throughout the entire direct marketing process. Founded in 1917, DMA today has more than 4,800 corporate, affiliate, and chapter members from the US and 46 other nations, including 52 companies listed on the Fortune 100.
In 2005, companies spent an estimated $161 billion on direct marketing in the United States. Measured against total US sales, these advertising expenditures generated an estimated $1.85 trillion in increased sales in 2005, or 7 percent of the $26 trillion in total sales in the US economy (which includes intermediate sales). All together, direct marketing accounted for 10.3 percent of total US GDP in 2005.
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