By Kristina Monllos
UM has a new head of U.S. operations.

Insider Kasha Cacy today succeeds Sarah Personette as U.S. president, as Personette exits following maternity leave to become the head of global business marketing at Facebook.

Cacy has spent the last seven years at UM, most recently as the global chief product officer. In her new role, she’ll oversee business development, strategy, cross-channel planning and buying, analytics and custom content development for all North American accounts.

“My focus will be very client-oriented,” Cacy said. “I have a passion for bringing in new clients, innovating new products and finding the best of what we have to offer.”

With Cacy’s promotion, UM is seeking a new chief product officer–a search that Cacy will help conduct.

Cacy’s strategic background appealed to global CEO Daryl Lee, given that UM likes to turn strategists into business leaders. Earlier in her career, she led strategy for J3, a dedicated unit that UM created for Johnson & Johnson.

“We’re making a strategic bet that someone who knows strategy and can act like a client consultant should be the front-face of the brand,” Lee said.

The CEO added that Cacy is “beloved by her clients, they’re just mad about her.” What’s more, she has “both a creative and media background and is a great client consultant,” he said. “She’s a person that people want to follow.”

Top accounts at the Interpublic Group shop include Nationwide, Hershey, Heinz, Lockheed Martin and the U.S. Postal Service.