BBH USA has made two key leadership appointments, naming Agnes Fischer president to lead the agency’s presence in the U.S., and hiring Alan Stout as chief strategy officer.
Fischer replaces BBH US CEO Amani Duncan, who recently left the agency to pursue another opportunity, which has not been announced yet. Duncan was elevated from president to CEO of BBH USA in February. She had been at BBH since 2020.
Fischer and Stout will join in January and collaborate with CCO Erica Roberts on agency leadership. The two new hires will report to Publicis Groupe chief strategy officer Carla Serrano.
Along with her president role, Fischer will join the BBH global board. She was most recently president of The&Partnership, and prior to that was executive group director and co-head of account management at Droga5, managing client services and running the firm’s JPMorgan Chase and New York Times accounts. Fischer brings more than two decades of experience in the creative industry, including key roles DDB, TBWA, Publicis Worldwide, Organic and Anomaly.
“BBH has proven that creativity has the power to drive outsized results, which is a value I’ve always championed. I love the agency’s ‘zag when others zig’ philosophy and believe it uniquely positions us to help clients navigate today’s chaotic landscape,” said Fischer in a statement.
Stout has spent the most recent years at San Francisco-based agency Argonaut, where he served as chief strategy officer. He got his start in advertising as an art director, but found strategy afforded more opportunities for exploration. He has spent nearly two decades shaping creative and brand strategy at Goodby Silverstein & Partners, Mother, Sid Lee and Pereira & O’Dell, working with brands including Chevrolet, Doritos, Cheetos, Absolut Vodka, Calvin Klein and Cricket Wireless.
“BBH made the blueprint for how brand strategy can best serve creativity. I am humbled to join a long line of beautiful minds that love evidence-based change, making our audiences proud, and going rogue with an arty flavor,” said Stout in a statement.
This news builds upon the appointments senior talent for BBH in the past year, including global chief creative officer Alex Grieve; US chief creative officer Erica Roberts, and executive creative directors Kasia Canning and Estefanio Holtz.
“We are thrilled to welcome Agnes and Alan to the team shepherding this new era for BBH USA,” said Serrano in a statement. “They bring the perfect blend of creative prowess, inherent curiosity and business-driving ‘zagness’ found at the heart of the agency. Together with Erica, and the connectivity of the BBH global board, I know tremendous opportunity lies ahead for this incredible team.”
BBH USA was recently shortlisted as Adweek’s 2022 US Midsize Agency of the Year.