Imre CEO Neera Chaudhary left the New York-based agency after nearly 7 months on the job, the firm announced Thursday afternoon.
Chaudhary joined Imre in mid-September after spending 18 months as president of North America operations at Ketchum. She replaced Dave Imre, founder of the namesake agency, and was tasked with driving growth for the 240-person organization.
Chaudhary is an industry veteran who was recognized as a 2022 PRWeek Women of Distinction honoree. She started her career as global president of healthcare at Golin, managing Golin Health and Virgo Health, as well as holding senior roles in Cohn & Wolfe’s healthcare practice and Porter Novelli.
Going forward, Imre President Anna Kotis will lead day-to-day operations at the firm on an interim basis, reporting to the agency’s board of directors.
The company said it has begun the search for Chaudhary’s permanent replacement.
“We wish Neera well in the future. As we look ahead and with a focus on our people, our clients, and the opportunity within our industry, we remain committed to being a positive, disruptive force for change and transformation,” said Dave Imre, executive chairman of Imre, in a statement. “Whether that’s exploring new technologies like AI, our commitment to a work from anywhere workforce, or the power of earned-led creativity, we believe there is a bright future ahead for agencies powered by a sense of relentless curiosity.”
Imre made several personnel moves in addition to hiring Chaudhary last year.
Shortly before hiring Chaudhary, Imre promoted two executives with significant healthcare client experience, Sarah Dembert and Emily Giegerich.
In August, the agency hired Sam Ingram, formerly of Bristol Myers Squibb, to serve as SVP of digital experience while Hui Tang was brought on to be the head of marketing analytics. During the same month, Imre added Kristine Wobschall as VP of client experience and Sonal Adhav as senior director of medical affairs.
In April 2022, Imre brought on Matthew Zogby as chief data officer and Christopher Lang as head of data science.
The agency also posted a revenue of $45.1 million in 2021, a 23% year-over-year increase, according to PRWeek’s Agency Business Report 2022.
