January 5, 2009

ISM Appoints Chief Talent Officer

Melissa Rose joins agency in newly created position

Boston, MA. -- ISM, a Boston-based marketing and advertising firm that specializes in handling premier travel and lifestyle brands, announced that Melissa Rose has been appointed to the newly created position of Chief Talent Officer.

Rose will be responsible for enhancing the agency's performance through the strategic attraction, retention and utilization of talent, including properly aligning and managing the strengths and skills of the staff to successfully achieve the company's operational and financial objectives. This will include recruitment, training, performance management, organizational development, process effectiveness and much more. In her new role, Rose will be part of the company's executive team and she will report directly to the agency's President and CEO, Gary Leopold.

Rose was most recently Vice President and Director of Human Resources for Carat overseeing Boston and several of their other offices. Prior to that, she held the Director of Human Resources position at ISM for five years. Melissa's experience also includes several other HR positions with prominent Boston companies including Hill Holliday and Ropes & Gray.

"The strength of ISM has always been our people," explained Leopold. "By bringing Melissa back to the firm we've not only made a commitment to strengthen our agency, but we've added an individual whose own talent and skill reflect what our firm is all about."

ISM specializes in problem-solving and forward-thinking marketing and advertising for the travel and lifestyle industries. Founded in 1984 as a consulting firm, the agency has evolved into a premier full-service advertising and marketing agency that provides services to market leaders like Barbados, Disney, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, Abercrombie & Kent, American Express, Harley-Davidson, Hong Kong and many others.