Wolf Returns as CEO of Chiat’s N.Y. Office

Trying hard to stop the recent flow of business away from its New York office, the ad agency Chiat/Day/Mojo has shaken up its management structure.

Central among the changes, Bob Wolf, 48, chairman and chief executive of Chiat/Day’s North American operations, has again taken the additional title of chief executive of the New York office. Jane Newman, 42, who had held that key post, was named vice chairman of the agency, with responsibilities for strategic planning.

Bob Perkins, who is chairman of the agency’s direct marketing subsidiary, Perkins/Butler, was named president and chief operating officer of Chiat/Day’s New York office. In an interview, Wolf said he expects to only temporarily hold the chief executive title in New York. “In time, we hope Bob (Perkins) will become chief executive of the office,” said Wolf, who held that post from September, 1983, to September, 1987.

In the meantime, Wolf said he expects to spend about half his time in the New York office--which creates ads for Nynex Information Resources and Arrow Co. “This signals to our New York clients that we have some very senior managers paying attention to them,” Wolf said.

Agency founder Jay Chiat is also expected to spend more time in the New York office. And with good reason. The office--which has lost more than $100 million in annual billings this year--badly needs to win new business. Prospective new clients include the estimated $15-million Haagen-Dazs account and the Chemical Manufacturers Assn.