My, how things change after just a few weeks. After initially receiving tips about this in early September and being told at the time by the Leo Burnett camp that it was “not true to report,” official word is out that Mick McCabe has indeed headed back to his old stomping grounds to take on the role of chief strategy officer. McCabe replaces Stephen Hahn-Griffiths, who left Leo in mid-summer and eventually found a new gig at a Boston-based research and branding firm.
As for McCabe, as mentioned, this marks his second go-around at Leo Burnett, having first served as EVP, director of planning for four years. After his first stint at Leo, the exec moved on to take the chief strategy officer jobs at Deutsch and then KBS+P, the latter of which he left early this summer (and was subsequently replaced by Jonah Bloom). Now as Leo USA CSO, McCabe will support a client roster that includes Allstate, Kellogg’s, McDonald’s, P&G, Sprint and Samsung. During his career, the exec also had planning stints at the likes of Fallon and TBWA\Chiat\Day.