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.

“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