-By Gregory Solman

LOS ANGELES Jeff Kling said he is returning to Wieden + Kennedy as an executive creative director at the independent agency's office in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
 
Kling, who will partner with ecd John Norman on accounts such as Nike, Coca-Cola, Electronic Arts and Procter & Gamble, starts next week.
 
"Jeff will be a great asset in Amsterdam. His leadership skills and creative pedigree are clearly proven and speak for themselves," said Dan Wieden, agency chief executive officer and global creative director, in a statement. "The fact that Jeff already has experienced the Wieden culture and has lived in Amsterdam before means he can really focus and dive right into his new role. With both Jeff's and John's experience combined, the partnership can further develop the success of Wieden Amsterdam and maintain the creative culture that has thrived in our Amsterdam office."

Most recently, Kling consulted as a cd for Virtue Worldwide, working on the launches of the Rock Band and Virtual Lower East Side game titles. From 2004-07, he was ecd at Havas' Euro RSCG in New York, where he worked on Jaguar, Dos Equis, Uniglo and Clearasil. Before that, Kling was a cd at the Amsterdam and Portland, Ore., offices of Wieden, where he worked on Nike, ESPN, Coca-Cola, Miller High Life and promotional efforts for Fight Club.
 
Kling said that in making the move he "needed to breathe new air" and hoped to be working with every client at the Amsterdam office. "It makes me double extra lithium glad to be returning to Wieden generally and to Amsterdam specifically," he said. "There are some lovely, super-talented people in Amsterdam who I have sorely missed."