Head of the week: "Switzerland offers more opportunities"
FRANK WODAY has been Managing Director Switzerland of the media agency Universal McCann since the beginning of the year
FRANK WODAY has been Managing Director Switzerland at media agency Universal McCann since the beginning of the yearHead of the week Frank Woday has been Managing Director Switzerland at media agency Universal McCann since the beginning of the year "Switzerland offers more opportunities"
Anyone who thinks the name Frank Woday has Anglo-Saxon origins is mistaken. The new Managing Director of Universal McCann grew up near the Danish border in Germany. His family roots can be traced back to Pomerania. The 37-year-old media specialist has been in charge of Universal McCann Switzerland since February 1, succeeding Ronny Schmid as head of the Zurich branch.
The new face in the Swiss media landscape began his career with plans outside the industry: "I was originally interested in architecture. But the training and career opportunities in my home town were limited." Woday used his spatial imagination in other ways, studied business administration and trained as a publishing manager.
The transition from the publishing to the advertising industry followed smoothly. Woday took on management roles in various advertising agencies such as TBWA in Frankfurt and Scholz & Friends in Hamburg. During the nineties, he was swept along by the maelstrom of independence and consolidation in the media business and headed for ZenithMedia in Hamburg. As his last stop before moving to Switzerland, Woday managed the business of InitiativeMedia in Hamburg.
The fact that Switzerland is not considered a dream destination in the communications industry does not bother Woday: "Firstly, the timing was right for me when I received the offer from Universal McCann. And secondly, Switzerland offers more opportunities than risks. It also has a big advantage in terms of working abroad. The language barrier is eliminated from the outset," says the Managing Director, explaining his choice, adding with a smile: "I get to work in a place that many of my fellow countrymen consider a dream holiday destination."
Woday is not afraid of communication problems, and he can rely on the strong management team at Universal McCann in Geneva to help him straddle the language border between Geneva and Zurich.
However, there are significant differences in day-to-day business: "The Swiss market works differently to the German market, for example in terms of planning cycles and the purchasing process. My first task was to familiarize myself with it and understand it". He already seems to have a good grasp of the rules of the Interessengemeinschaft elektronischer Medien (IGEM)
to have: At the beginning of June, Woday was newly elected to the Board as an agency representative.
While the new head of Universal McCann is optimistic about the future professionally, the married Woday spends his free time looking after a vintage car from the 1960s, which he also drives around the Nürburgring in races.
Bruno Amstutz
Anyone who thinks the name Frank Woday has Anglo-Saxon origins is mistaken. The new Managing Director of Universal McCann grew up near the Danish border in Germany. His family roots can be traced back to Pomerania. The 37-year-old media specialist has been in charge of Universal McCann Switzerland since February 1, succeeding Ronny Schmid as head of the Zurich branch.
The new face in the Swiss media landscape began his career with plans outside the industry: "I was originally interested in architecture. But the training and career opportunities in my home town were limited." Woday used his spatial imagination in other ways, studied business administration and trained as a publishing manager.
The transition from the publishing to the advertising industry followed smoothly. Woday took on management roles in various advertising agencies such as TBWA in Frankfurt and Scholz & Friends in Hamburg. During the nineties, he was swept along by the maelstrom of independence and consolidation in the media business and headed for ZenithMedia in Hamburg. As his last stop before moving to Switzerland, Woday managed the business of InitiativeMedia in Hamburg.
The fact that Switzerland is not considered a dream destination in the communications industry does not bother Woday: "Firstly, the timing was right for me when I received the offer from Universal McCann. And secondly, Switzerland offers more opportunities than risks. It also has a big advantage in terms of working abroad. The language barrier is eliminated from the outset," says the Managing Director, explaining his choice, adding with a smile: "I get to work in a place that many of my fellow countrymen consider a dream holiday destination."
Woday is not afraid of communication problems, and he can rely on the strong management team at Universal McCann in Geneva to help him straddle the language border between Geneva and Zurich.
However, there are significant differences in day-to-day business: "The Swiss market works differently to the German market, for example in terms of planning cycles and the purchasing process. My first task was to familiarize myself with it and understand it". He already seems to have a good grasp of the rules of the Interessengemeinschaft elektronischer Medien (IGEM)
to have: At the beginning of June, Woday was newly elected to the Board as an agency representative.
While the new head of Universal McCann is optimistic about the future professionally, the married Woday spends his free time looking after a vintage car from the 1960s, which he also drives around the Nürburgring in races.
Bruno Amstutz
