Globe names Martin chief advertising officer

THE REGION

Samuel P. Martin was named chief advertising officer of Boston Globe Media, Boston Globe president Mary Jacobus said. When he starts his job June 1, Martin will oversee the integrated advertising sales and marketing efforts for the Globe's media properties, including The Boston Globe newspaper, Boston.com, the Worcester Telegram & Gazette, and GlobeDirect, a direct marketing company. Martin, who has held a variety of advertising jobs at such newspapers as the Cincinnati Enquirer and the Dayton Daily News, is currently senior vice president of sales for North Jersey Media Group, where he is responsible for the advertising departments of the Record and the Herald News. Martin, 46, is a graduate of Central State University in Ohio.

Mercer HR Services, an international human resources consulting firm, plans to hire 200 employees at its Norwood site. A spokesman said the firm will add 50 clients this year. The hires, coupled with the addition of 200 workers last year, expand Mercer's Massachusetts workforce by 35 percent. Edward Wolyniec, operations leader for the Americas, said the company expects employment at its Norwood facility to grow 15 percent to 20 percent per year. The Norwood site is the company's global headquarters for benefits administration outsourcing, which involves 401(k), medical, and group plans. (Diane E. Lewis)

Massachusetts Secretary of State William F. Galvin accused two energy companies of selling unregistered securities and warned investors to be wary of others who might try to ''capitalize on the fears associated with uncertainty in the energy markets." Galvin's office said it filed civil complaints against Braintree Energy Inc. of Cheshire for allegedly selling unregistered interests in oil and gas ventures and not mentioning past sanctions against the manager of the operations. Braintree didn't return messages. A complaint was also filed against enTerra Energy LLC, of Oklahoma, for failing to disclose risks associated with its private placements or past legal problems. An representative said enTerra hadn't seen the complaint and couldn't comment. (Ross Kerber)

Bain Capital has completed its $3 billion acquisition of Sensata Technologies Inc. of Attleboro, the company said. Sensata operated as the Sensors & Controls business of Texas Instruments Inc. prior to the sale. Sensata employs 5,400 people worldwide and operates facilities in eight countries. (Steven Syre)

Banco Itaú Holding Financeira SA, Brazil's fourth-biggest bank by assets, is in talks to purchase Bank of America Corp.'s BankBoston Brazilian unit, the union representing the bank's workers said. Itaú denied it had talked with the union about a purchase and said its only comment is what it told the securities regulator -- that it's considering plans to expand in Brazil and Latin America. Exame magazine reported that Itaú will pay almost $3 billion for BankBoston's assets, including the bank's Uruguayan and Chilean units. (Bloomberg)

THE NATION

The University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School, the oldest US business college, has the best undergraduate business program in the nation, according to a poll by Business Week. The magazine's first poll of business programs offering bachelor's degrees ranked the University of Virginia program second, followed by University of Notre Dame, MIT, and Emory University. US News & World Report selected Wharton as the best undergraduate business program among US colleges last year. (Bloomberg)

Canada's Parliament exploded in emotional debate over a lumber deal with the United States, with vehement opposition from some producers and political leaders threatening to quash the agreement. Prime Minister Stephen Harper and US Trade Representative Rob Portman said agreement had been reached on the decades-old dispute over softwood lumber, a major home-building component. (AP)

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