TBWA\Chiat\Day LA Elevates Erin Riley to CEO and Jen Costello to Chief Strategy Officer

TBWA\Chiat\Day Los Angeles has promoted president Erin Riley to chief executive officer and Jen Costello to chief strategy officer from head of strategy. The moves come after a year that saw the Los Angeles office land key clients, including Discover, Moderna, Behr Paint and Schwan’s food brands. Riley takes a title that was not currently held by anyone, as does Costello, but the promotions are validation for the work they have put in to keep the agency on track through the pandemic and beyond. “It's the permission to keep at it, because I think we are starting to see progress and convergence around some of the places we've invested and the way businesses is going,” Costello told Adweek. Riley credits the team’s hard work for being able to land new clients during what was undeniably a tough year for everyone. “There was momentum, and we know agencies thrive on momentum. Winning is validating new creative opportunities, new problems to solve. And we were able to maintain our track record of a lot of diversity in those client wins—different categories, different sizes, it's something we take a lot of pride in, and actively try and cultivate,” Riley told Adweek. Nancy Reyes Elevated to CEO of TBWA\Chiat\Day New York Riley came to the Omnicom network agency in 2016 as president of the L.A. office from Old Navy, where she was vp of marketing and brand engagement. “Erin is an extraordinary leader who has helped our clients and the agency navigate challenging times and come out the other end smarter and stronger,” said Troy Ruhanen, CEO of TBWA\Worldwide, in a statement. “She’s a brilliant business mind who leads with humanity, and I have absolute confidence she will continue to lead Chiat LA into an exceptionally strong next chapter.” Costello joined TBWA\Chiat\Day LA from The Martin Agency in 2013, and has risen through the ranks, helping modernize core strategic disciplines and implementing programs that impact culture and talent. One example is the introduction of a program that makes a certified mini-MBA available to all agency talent. Changing the culture through new programs Aside from the new business wins, Riley and Costello have also implemented and evolved practice areas, including the design division, a b-to-b division specializing in complex businesses and a multicultural practice that has helped brands navigate their roles in recent events with two Racial Injustice Response Guides. “We actually put out two different guides to help our internal talent as well as our clients navigate the racial injustice system. One was actually at time of George Floyd's murder, and the second one was a little bit more recently around the verdict around the police officers,” said Costello. “We didn't want any of our brands or businesses to shy away from it, which is what was really what we saw happening a lot without really companies being uncomfortable and pulling back. So even though we didn't have all the answers ourselves, we knew we could ask the questions and give our clients the questions to ask themselves to come out and really understand their stance.” Riley and Costello have also been at the forefront of diversity, equity and inclusion efforts at the Los Angeles office. Through training, established affinity groups and inclusive hiring practices to eliminate unconscious bias in the process, the agency has increased diversity across all levels and departments, with 64% of new hires in 2021 from diverse backgrounds. Earlier this year, TBWA\Chiat\Day LA partnered with Compton Girls Club and its client QuickBooks to create an incubator series that helped 11 young diverse women become entrepreneurs. “About a year ago, we made six very concrete and measurable commitments around hiring around the environment, education, programming and community involvement,” said Riley, who added that they now look for potential versus portfolio and put more emphasis on the power and perspective of diversity in many forms in the agency’s hiring and training processes. With their new titles, Riley and Costello hope to keep the momentum at TBWA\Chiat\Day LA rolling through disruption, which Riley said has been at the heart of TBWA for 50 years and now continues to evolve. “I think what we're now adding to disruption is dimension,” she said.