Longtime CEO of Minneapolis ad agency Colle McVoy to step down

The longtime CEO of Minneapolis’ advertising agency Colle McVoy is stepping down to take an advisory role at the firm.

Christine Fruechte, 57, led the creative agency for 16 years, first joining as the director of client services in 2004 before becoming chief executive in 2008.

“It comes down to having a vision and seeing it through: Everything I’ve hoped for Colle McVoy has come true,” Fruechte said in a statement on why she is vacating the position. “This agency has thrived through constant reinvention over the last two decades. I’m incredibly proud of the teams built over the years, the impact we’ve had on our clients’ businesses, the industry and our community. We’ve proven that leading with purpose can be a galvanizing force for growing business and attracting exceptional talent.”

Fruechte, who has been a member of the Star Tribune’s board of directors since 2019, said Colle McVoy had a succession-planning process that deemed President Jessica Henrichs as the next CEO to lead the 240-employee organization. Henrichs will assume the role Jan. 1.

“She’s been part of the journey. She’s been here for five years,” Fruechte said. “She knows all of our clients. She knows all of our employees. I think it’s going to be a very smooth transition.”

Trade publication Adweek named Colle McVoy — owned by publicly traded firm Stagwell — as its midsize Agency of the Year in 2023.

Earlier this year Colle McVoy helped the Star Tribune rebrand to the Minnesota Star Tribune. Fruechte will continue to helm the Star Tribune’s board, which she has chaired since April 2023.

“You don’t see a lot of leaders who maintain a CEO role for over a decade and continue to iterate and evolve,” said Marla Kaplowitz, CEO of the American Association of Advertising Agencies, in a statement. “Christine Fruechte’s masterful in motivating people to continually reinvent, and her integrity makes her an amplifier of people and progress.”