R/GA New York has hired Megan Skelly as its newest creative leader.
Skelly, who started her new job this month, holds the group executive creative director title. She will co-lead one of the office’s largest integrated groups that serves several accounts including, most prominently, Verizon.
The new GECD spent five years with 360i before accepting the R/GA role. A spokesperson for the former agency wrote, “We’ve loved having Megan as part of the 360i family over the past five years, and wish her many more years of success in her next endeavor.”
Skelly served as a GCD at 360i overseeing creative for clients that included Target, Coke, Stella Artois and the city of New Orleans, among others. (She worked on this year’s “New Orleans Is Always Open” campaign for the Big Easy.)
Previous roles include seven years with KBS, where she was VP/CD, and four with McCann where she added a “senior” to that title. She then moved to mcgarrybowen, where she co-led several campaigns for Chase well before that account went to Droga5.
Business Insider picked Skelly, who also served on last year’s Cannes Cyber Jury, as one of its 30 most creative women in advertising for 2016 on the strength of 360i’s #WeighThis rebranding effort for Lean Cuisine. According to a later case study, the work led to a 33% increase in positive brand perception.
Verizon has a longstanding relationship with R/GA, but the agency’s remit has grown over the past couple of years. A 2015 review ended with the telecom giant splitting its digital responsibilities between R/GA and AKQA as the former shop won a share of work previously handled by Moxie, Sapient and others.
Exactly one year ago, the client consolidated more of its digital business with the IPG shop, which currently serves as social and digital agency of record for the main Verizon brand. The partnership is somewhat fluid; a recent digital-first campaign starring Jamie Foxx was so popular with one company executive that it ran on broadcast TV.
In recent months, R/GA has won several pieces of new business including NFL Media, PwC and global social media for Samsung.