R/GA Chooses Shannon Washington and Erin Lynch to Lead New York Creative Department

R/GA has tapped two of its creatives to take on elevated roles at the agency. Erin Lynch, who joined the shop more than a decade ago, has been named svp and executive creative director of its New York office. Shannon Washington, who joined R/GA last year, is taking on the same role. Together, the pair have been tasked with leading creative output for the agency’s New York office. Lynch will spearhead experience-driven creative projects, while Washington is taking the lead on integrated ones. In these roles, they’ll oversee a team of roughly 115 people. They will report to global chief creative officer Tiffany Rolfe and global chief experience officer Ben Williams. It is unclear if their positions are new roles at the agency or if they are replacing anyone. Their promotions come as R/GA finds itself in the midst of a transformation of sorts. The agency, owned by IPG, has made a name for itself in the industry by proclaiming to “reinvent” itself every nine years to keep up with the times. Last year, the agency said it was on the cusp of another reinvention. At the time, it said it was putting a series of “foundational changes” in place in response to “recent shifts in the consumer landscape and the newly kaleidoscopic future of work.” Lynch has held several roles at R/GA since joining in 2007, most recently group creative director. According to the agency, she’s been a “key leader in the evolution of R/GA’s digital product, service and innovation work.” Recently, Lynch worked on a YouTube series for Planned Parenthood called Roo High School that touched on topics such as gender identity, consent and puberty. The series was created to promote Roo, Planned Parenthood’s sexual health chatbot that answers questions. “R/GA has given me a platform to tap into my inner creativity and systematic mindset to shape some of the most exciting work of my career,” Lynch said. “This opportunity mixed with R/GA’s commitment to elevating more women as leaders, makes me proud to partner with Shannon to drive the creative vision forward, while standing for what we believe.” Before joining R/GA last year, Washington was a freelance group creative director at TBWA\Media Arts Lab, the agency dedicated to Apple. While there, she helped launch Apple TV+. Earlier in her career, she led CoverGirl’s brand refresh while serving as a creative director at Droga5. "When presented with this opportunity, the main road to ‘yes’ for me was the idea that R/GA is fully aware of who I am and embraces it in regards to leadership,” Washington said. “A woman with a truly non-traditional and non-linear experience path, who crosses between various cultural communities and has largely resisted being an ‘ad person.’ R/GA NY is a place rooted in cultural innovation and it’s the perfect time to connect all of the dots of the insanely unique pool of talent we have with Erin by my side.” Uber recently named R/GA its global social agency of record. R/GA said Washington played a critical role in helping the agency win the business. “Erin and Shannon are rare leaders who devote themselves to supporting and inspiring their teams to do their best work—creative that connects with people and culture in a meaningful way,” Rolfe said in a statement. Read Next: R/GA’s New Global CMO Is a Lifelong Social Justice Reformer