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Frank Mergenthaler is Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for the Interpublic Group (NYSE: IPG), one of the world's leading organizations of advertising agencies and marketing services companies.
Mr. Mergenthaler joined Interpublic with extensive experience in the media and entertainment industry, having played increasingly important financial roles at The Seagram Company Ltd. owners of Universal Studios, Universal Music Group and the Universal Theme Parks, as well as at Columbia House. In addition, he spent over a decade at Price Waterhouse, becoming a partner at the accounting firm in 1996.
Most recently, Mr. Mergenthaler was Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Columbia House Company, a direct marketer of entertainment content. Mergenthaler joined Columbia House in 2002 following the successful leveraged buyout by the Blackstone Group. At Columbia House, he worked with the CEO to drive all major strategic and operational management decisions, including the company's recent sale to Bertelsmann. While at Columbia House, Mergenthaler redesigned the Corporate Finance and Controllership functions, established the Internal Audit function and was the primary liaison with debt holders and other financial constituents. He also led the re-engineering of the company's information technology function and drove cost rationalizations throughout the organization resulting in dramatic improvements to operating margins.
From 2001 to 2002, Mergenthaler served as Senior Vice President and Deputy Chief Financial Officer for Vivendi Universal, a $40 billion media company which was formed after the global merger of Vivendi and Seagram. While at Seagram, which he joined in 1996, Mergenthaler had a number of executive roles including Assistant Treasurer, Corporate Controller and ultimately, Senior Vice President of Finance.
From 1983 to 1996, Mergenthaler held various positions at Price Waterhouse. While at the firm, he managed a number of multinational clients in media and entertainment as well as consumer products industries.
Mr. Mergenthaler is a member of the Financial Executives Institute, AICPA and the New York State Society of CPA's. He earned his BS from Providence College.
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