Simpson Heads to Ogilvy as N.A. CCO

Steve Simpson will miss his "charmed time" at Goodby, Silverstein & Partners -- his home away from home for the past 20 years -- but he looks forward to becoming part of a "kindred culture" at Ogilvy & Mather, where next month he starts as chief creative officer for North America.Simpson, who described his new shop's culture as one of "great talent and civility," said: "I've always admired the way they build and nurture great brands -- in-depth and over time. They are in it for the long haul, not for the quick-hit creative stunts." Simpson joined Omnicom Group's Goodby in 1990 and rose to partner and creative director in 1995. He, cd Jamie Barrett and managing partner Derek Robson were part of the next layer of agency leadership under co-chairmen Jeff Goodby and Rich Silverstein."It has honestly been a charmed time here. I've loved every minute of the thing, at least every day," Simpson said of Goodby. "I feel nothing but gratitude about the time I've spent with Jeff and Rich."At WPP Group's Ogilvy, Simpson, 50, assumes a role that worldwide vice chairman Steve Hayden temporarily took on last year in a creative leadership reshuffling. The new North American CCO will split his time between New York and his longtime home of San Francisco, according to Ogilvy North American chairman John Seifert.Simpson's primary client responsibilities are still being hashed out and won't be finalized until he joins the agency in late July, Seifert added.The agency, however, has been seeking a lead creative on IBM -- one of Ogilvy's largest global clients -- and some sources expect Simpson, with his experience on Hewlett-Packard at Goodby, to assume that role.In an internal memo, Hayden described Simpson as "one of the finest copywriters and creative directors in the industry." He noted that early in his career Simpson worked at the San Francisco office of Ogilvy, which later became Hal Riney & Partners."So he knows Ogilvy culture as well as anyone could," Hayden wrote. "In fact, that culture is one of the primary reasons that drew him back to Ogilvy. We just have to make sure we're as true to it in 2010 as we were in 1984!"The hire comes two weeks after Ogilvy named Lars Bastholm, its chief digital creative officer for North America, to the additional role of CCO for New York. And while the shop continues to seek creative talent on top accounts, its creative leadership team is now largely in place."We may have some targeted hires on specific things. But we have a new lineup now and we're very excited about it," Seifert said. "We have a great team. Now [Simpson] has got to do the work."--with Brian MorrisseyThis story updates an earlier item with quotes from Steve Simpson and additional details.

Brand Marketing

Simpson Heads to Ogilvy as N.A. CCO

Eleftheria Parpis

Andrew McMains

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Eleftheria Parpis

Andrew McMains