ACCENT Marketing Services Names Tim Searcy as New CEO

JEFFERSONVILLE, Ind., Jan. 25, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- ACCENT Marketing Services, a member of the MDC Partners Network and provider of customer engagement and performance marketing solutions, today announced the selection of industry veteran Tim Searcy as the company's new chief executive officer.  Searcy brings 25 years of direct marketing and teleservices experience to ACCENT where he will be responsible for leading and growing the company's engagement management business unit.  

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"The contact center is a crucial connection point between a brand and its customers, providing access to more consumer data and intelligence than any other part of the organization," said ACCENT CEO Tim Searcy.  "In this new role, I look forward to working with MDC, our management team and employees to challenge the idea of the traditional call center by demonstrating its power to intelligently engage consumers across channels, influence behavior and monetize every interaction."

"MDC prides itself on attracting and selecting the best talent.  As an energizing force in the industry, Tim brings a refreshing point of view, specialist experience and a proven ability to deliver differential results," commented Gavin Swartzman, managing director, MDC Partners.  "Under his leadership, ACCENT is poised to revolutionize the way brands think about their customer engagement strategies while maximizing their return on investment.  We are thrilled to partner with Tim in leading ACCENT's next phase of growth and innovation."

Prior to joining ACCENT, Searcy served as CEO of the American Teleservices Association (ATA), the only non-profit trade organization dedicated exclusively to the advancement of companies that utilize contact centers as an integral channel of operations. During his tenure, Searcy fought to preserve the balance of business operations and industry-wide regulation on behalf of more than 4,000 contact centers and over 1.8 million teleservices professionals worldwide.  Additionally, his vision for self regulation led to the creation of the association's self regulatory organization (ATA SRO), a standard setting and auditing organization that has received support from the Federal Trade Commission.  Searcy will continue to champion the needs of small businesses and Fortune 500 companies as a member of the ATA's board.

"Tim has made tremendous contributions to our industry and the advancement of the American Teleservices Association," remarked Phil Grudzinski, ATA board chair.  "His vision and leadership have been exemplary and leaves no one to question his continued commitment and involvement.  He will be missed but we congratulate Tim for all of his accomplishments and wish he and his family the best in this new opportunity."

Before assuming his leadership role with the ATA in 2003, Searcy served as a senior executive for some of the world's largest and fastest growing direct marketing companies, including West Teleservices, APAC Teleservices, Transcom Worldwide and Rapp Collins.  Additionally, he has worked throughout the United States, Europe, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean to encourage growth, regulatory compliance and the establishment of best practices throughout the teleservices industry.  In these roles, Searcy drove the development of over $2 billion in outsourced teleservices and direct marketing solutions worldwide.

Searcy's professional accomplishments include being inducted into the Teleservices Hall of Fame and receiving Customer Interaction Solutions' Lifetime Achievement Award.  He is also a member of the Board of Directors for the University of Akron's Taylor Institute for Direct Marketing and is an accomplished speaker, industry spokesperson and author on topics such as CEO leadership, sales and marketing.  

About ACCENT Marketing Services, LLC

ACCENT, a member of the MDC Partners Network, is the performance marketing company for marketers who need to maximize their brand's ability to engage with consumers and influence behavior, while generating a better return on their investment.  The company's data-driven approach transforms customer service touchpoints across the phone, online and social media channels into powerful relationship and brand-building tools.  Founded in 1993, ACCENT employs more than 2,000 people across the United States, Jamaica and the Philippines.  For more information, visit www.accentonline.com.

SOURCE ACCENT Marketing Services, LLC