Seifert sent a note to staff, which reads, “Lars, Steve and I recently sat down and discussed the progress of Ogilvy’s strong business recovery, the development of our creative community, the agency’s creative product, and our respective leadership roles. We agreed that Lars had made significant contributions to accelerating our digital transformation, recruiting sparkling talent, and helping win IKEA, a showcase accomplishment that revitalized our approach to new business and fueled our growth in 2010.”

Bastholm originally joined O&M from AKQA in early 2009 and eventually took over as New York CCO nearly a year ago. While Ogilvy searches for his replacement, Simpson will assume creative leadership duties at the NYC office. From the looks of his Twitter profile, Bastholm, who has had some gripes about Ogilvy NY’s creative output in the past (a possible issue perhaps?), is prepping for his trip to Nice…which could be more personal than business this year.

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Following last year’s logo fiasco, it seems apt that Gap Inc. would be looking for a change, and in doing so, the agency has tapped O&M as its new global AOR. The move complements Gap’s management overhaul which includes the appointment of Art Peck as president of its North American operations, Seth Farbman as Gap’s global CMO and Pam Wallack as head of the company’s new Global Creative Center. In a statement, Gap chairman/CEO Glenn Murphy says it loud and clear that “I expect more from our Gap business in North America. The changes we’re making are intended to propel the brand to deliver the product and brand experiences our customers demand worldwide.” Murphy goes on to say that New York City will serve as the “global epicenter” of the Gap brand.

We obtained the memo sent by Ogilvy N.A. chairman John Seifert to staff regarding the Gap news. Read on after the jump.

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