After 15 years with the company, Jeff Marchand, senior VP, general manager of Starcom Worldwide in Toronto, has decided to hang it all up – at least for a while. Feeling on the brink of burnout, Marchand decided to throw caution to the wind and gave notice last October. His last day is tomorrow. ‘I’m 36, young and healthy, and I’m doing this now instead of when I’m 75. This is a one-time only, one-shot deal. The next time I do this I will be retiring so I don’t want to rush it, don’t want to waste it.’
He plans on taking a three- to six-month break before deciding the next step in his career. Marchand was VP strategy director before the promotion that put him at the head of the agency two years ago. He is not being replaced at Starcom and says that Patrick Walshe, CEO operations for Starcom Mediavest Group, and the various other Starcom directors will be filling the gap.
