Digitas LBi announced the appointment of Alvaro Cabrera as chief strategy officer for North America. In the role, Cabrera will work closely with Digitas LBi North America chief creative officer Ronald Ng and global chief data scientist Jason Kodish, while partnering with global chief media officer Baba Shetty to ensure a consistent strategic approach and reporting directly to DigitasLBi North America CEO Tony Weisman. The move follows the agency’s recent promotion of Nic Howell to head of creative strategy.
Cabrera arrives at Digitas from OgilvyOne New York, where he spent the last year as managing director, head of engagement planning. In the position, he led a team of forty engagement planners and strategists, working with clients such as Coca-Cola, UPS, IBM, Aetna, BlackRock and E*Trade. He also was global lead on the agency’s propriety planning methodology and tool, which he helped develop and deploy across the agency’s offices globally. Cabrera originally arrived at OgilvyOne in March of 2012 as a senior partner, executive director of creative strategy, following a year as chief idea officer at The Bakery Communications New York. He moved to the U.S. from his native Spain in February of 2008 to become senior vice president, executive director of interception for Dallas-based Dieste, leaving after two years to become chief idea officer for GlobalHue division NXT. While in Spain, the 18-year industry veteran served in a variety of positions, including senior vice president, alternative advertising director at BBDO Contrapunto and senior vice president, client services director at BBDO’s CP Proximity.
“Alvaro has the ability to find the key insights only human analysis uncovers from data,” said Weisman. “He is an award-winning strategist and creative thinker who takes that information and uses it to build the innovative strategies marketers need to engage consumers today…We couldn’t be more excited to have him join us.”
“I wanted to partner with Alvaro from the first time we met,” added Ronald Ng. “He is thoughtful and solutions-driven, and above everything, gets pumped up about the power of big ideas. This is another exciting chapter for DigitasLBi, following the momentum of our recent Cannes Grand Prix win.”