Timeline: Colleen DeCourcy's Career, From Receptionist to Global Agency President

Known as much for her frank perspectives as for her creative accomplishments, Colleen DeCourcy has had a long, eventful and often high-profile career. Outing herself as the author of an anonymous "Confessions of a Female Ad Exec" essay—years before the #MeToo movement brought topics of harassment and sexism to the fore in Hollywood and on Madison Avenue—she has at times felt like an outsider in her own field. But soon after that moment, she was also picked up by Wieden+Kennedy in hopes she would grow to lead the agency. (Which she did.) Named by Adweek as Creative Leader of the Decade in 2019, DeCourcy today announced she is retiring from both Wieden+Kennedy and the ad industry. Wieden+Kennedy President Colleen DeCourcy Will Retire From Advertising Here's a look back on her career and the legacy she created along the way: 1986 DeCourcy gets her first job in the advertising industry as a receptionist at Canadian agency Saffer Cravit & Freedman. Late 1980s to early 1990s DeCourcy's early career includes time in broadcast media, working a stint at CBC TV/Variety, and later working with a concert promoter for acts that included Monday, the opera Aida, The Rolling Stones and more. 1994-2000 Working at small agency Spafax (which later became part of WPP), she is promoted to creative director and spends time in the agency’s London office running various accounts. 2000-2006 DeCourcy becomes chief creative officer at Toronto digital shop Organic (acquired in 2003 by Omnicom, which made it part of BBDO). A move to Detroit finds her leading the agency’s experience design group through nontraditional campaigns for major clients like DaimlerChrysler, including the Dodge Charger “Unleash Your Freak” and Jeep’s “The Mudds” initiatives. 2006 She becomes the chief experience officer at JWT New York. 2007-2011 DeCourcy, seeing digital as the key force that will reshape marketing, joins TBWA\Worldwide as its first chief digital officer. TBWA\Chiat\Day executive Rob Schwartz would later describe her as being “disruptive at a company known for disruption.” 2011 DeCourcy leaves TBWA and starts her own social media content and design shop called Socialistic, where she serves as chief creative officer and CEO. Socialistic's model is that of a social agency with creative people including social media experts, designers, coders, media specialists and journalists doing content marketing for brands like GE, Red Bull and Fast Company. 2012 DeCourcy shares an anonymous essay titled "Confessions of a Female Ad Exec" in Digiday. Revealing herself as the author, and calling for the publication to include a graphic harassment anecdote that had been edited out of the anonymous version, DeCourcy sparked dialogue around the treatment of women in advertising and became one of the industry's most high-profile advocates for equal treatment and an end to systemic sexism. 2013 Dan Wieden hires DeCourcy as global executive creative director of Wieden+Kennedy, the agency he co-founded in 1982. 2014 At an event honoring the 50th anniversary of The International ANDY Awards and focused on the theme of bravery, DeCourcy begins her speech by taking off most of her clothes as a metaphor for the vulnerability it takes to make an earnest connection with people. 2017 Adweek names Wieden+Kennedy Global Agency of the Year. Fast Company names DeCourcy one of the Most Creative People in Business for “future-proofing” advertising. 2018 DeCourcy is elevated to co-president and chief creative officer of Wieden+Kennedy. During her tenure at the agency, DeCourcy helps usher in top new business wins, including Airbnb, Visa and Facebook. The same year, DeCourcy helps launch Time's Up Advertising and is invited to join the board of directors for the larger Time's Up organization. Wieden+Kennedy is named Adweek's U.S. Agency of the Year for the first time in eight years. 2019 Adweek names DeCourcy Creative Leader of the Decade for 2010-2019. Wieden+Kennedy is again named Adweek's U.S. Agency of the Year, the magazine's first back-to-back winner since Goodby Silverstein & Partners in 2006 and 2007. 2021 DeCourcy announces her retirement from Wieden+Kennedy and from the advertising industry. She says she will remain active on several boards, including Time’s Up. Wieden+Kennedy President Colleen DeCourcy Will Retire From Advertising