Two top executives are out at ICM Partners.
Chief operating officer Justin Dearborn and chief human resources officer Cindy Ballard are leaving, capping brief tenures for both at the Hollywood talent agency. An ICM spokesperson confirmed that Dearborn and Ballard resigned this week, adding that both are leaving the agency on amicable terms, and that both will remain onboard through the end of the year to assist with the transition.
No successor to either exec has yet been identified.
Dearborn exits just seven months after he joined ICM from publishing Tribune Publishing. There, Dearborn spent three years as chairman and CEO. During his tenure, the company was affected by sexual harassment controversies at the Los Angeles Times, unrelated to Dearborn, which involved former Tribune Publishing chairman Michael Ferro. Dearborn resigned in January from his post at Tronc.
Prior to his time at Tribune Publishing, Dearborn was CEO of technology firm Merge Healthcare Inc. He was brought to ICM for the newly created COO role in part because of his expertise in M&A, integrations and corporate development at a time when Hollywood agencies in general have been diversifying their businesses.
Ballard, another Tribune Publishing veteran, joined ICM as its top human-resources executive in March 2018. She previously served as chief HR officer of the newspaper publisher, where she worked alongside Dearborn. Ballard succeeded longtime ICM HR head Karen Abrams, who retired in 2017.
Both Dearborn and Ballard reported to ICM managing director Chris Silbermann.