After spending less than a year McKinney’s newly opened New York office as managing director, Alex Van Gestel, is no longer with the agency’s Big Apple operation, which we’ve now been told is “in the safe hands” of JWT alum Peter Nicholson and head of strategic services, Yusuf Chuku. We’ve been told by those in the know that Van Gestel and McKinney actually parted ways a few weeks ago.
Prior to managing McKinney’s New York branch, Van Gestel served as president/CEO of the agency’s parent company, Cheil USA, for 18 months. Prior to his Cheil experience, the exec spent a similar amount of time at Anomaly as executive director of worldwide brands and also worked on the account side at the likes Leo Burnett, Euro RSCG and Ogilvy during his career.