Fayetteville agency Mitchell names new CEO as founder Elise Mitchell moves into chairman role

Fayetteville public relations firm Mitchell announced Wednesday (Nov. 1) the promotion of Sarah Clark from agency president to CEO. As part of the leadership shift, current CEO and agency founder Elise Mitchell will step down to take on the role of chairman.

The job changes are effective Jan. 1, 2018, according to a company news release. Mitchell will keep her role as CEO of the Dentsu Aegis Public Relations Network.

“It is an ideal time for Sarah to step into this role,” Mitchell said in the release “The agency is thriving. We have been transforming ourselves for a digitally centric marketplace, we’ve launched several new products and had significant new business wins this year. Sarah’s leadership has been instrumental in lifting the agency to the next level over the past few years in so many ways.

“I know she will continue to lead Mitchell to even greater things in the years to come.”

Mitchell was founded in 1995 and opened offices in New York and Chicago in 2013, approximately six months after the company was acquired by Dentsu Network Inc., a Japanese company now called Dentsu Aegis that touts itself as “the No. 1 agency brand in the world.”

A Mitchell spokesperson said the Chicago office was closed earlier this year.

Clark has been with the agency since 2010. She joined as senior vice president and chief strategy officer and was named president in 2013 when Mitchell sold to Dentsu. Under her leadership, the company says it has experienced double-digit growth over the past five years, and Clark led the effort to expand the company’s presence in North America, including opening the New York office.

Clark, according to the release, has established an integrated model of service delivery enabling richer innovative thinking and problem solving on behalf of clients. Additionally, she spearheaded the development of new product offerings such as Ripple, Mitchell’s micro-influencer marketing program, and Whirl, the company’s content marketing program.

Prior to Mitchell, Clark served as an industry and media relations expert in the corporate arena, both as a senior member of the Wal-Mart Stores corporate communications team and an officer of the company.

“We are delighted to have both Sarah and Elise take on these new roles at Mitchell,” said Nick Brien, CEO Americas, Dentsu Aegis Network. “The agency is the flagship PR firm for Dentsu Aegis Network, and rightly so. They have built a strong leadership team and a highly successful business that continues to grow and evolve.”

Mitchell’s client portfolio includes Wal-Mart Stores Inc., Sam’s Club, Hilton Worldwide, Procter & Gamble, Tyson Foods Inc., Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art and the Arkansas Scholarship Lottery.

The company has 115 employees, with 65 of them working from the Fayetteville office.

Mitchell had gross revenue of $16.7 million in 2016.