BBH USA has appointed Erica Roberts as chief creative officer. Roberts will lead all creative strategy and execution for BBH USA clients including Samsung, Google, Mattel’s Barbie, Netflix, Martell U.S. and Brighthouse Financial. Roberts will partner with Amani Duncan, CEO of BBH USA and report to Carla Serrano, chief strategy officer, Publicis Groupe. In addition, Roberts will join the BBH global board.
A 15-year Publicis Groupe veteran, Roberts was named to Adweek’s Creative 100 list as an Agency Leader to Watch. She has helped relaunch 10 brands within The J.M. Smucker Company’s portfolio including Jif, Folgers, Milkbone and Café Bustelo. She led Jif’s recent award-winning creative campaigns “Jif vs. Gif,” and the Lil Jif Project’s #JifRapChallenge. In her new role, Roberts will also bring BBH’s cultural fuel and creativity to Power of One accounts she has nurtured over the years.
“It’s such an honor to be joining BBH, one of the most storied creative brands in the world. The BBH USA team has been doing remarkable work over the past year, and I’m excited to build on this momentum to propel the agency, its talent and its clients into their next phase of growth and creative transformation,” said Roberts in a statement.
Roberts was previously CCO of Publicis New York—and also held executive creative director, creative director, associate creative director and senior copywriter positions at the agency. She began her career at McCann Erickson as a copywriter.
Roberts’ appointment follows the promotion of Amani Duncan to CEO earlier this year— and Alex Grieve being appointed to a newly-created global CCO, role as well as the launch of the new global BBH board. These announcements help to empower local leadership, maintaining global connectivity across the BBH offices and driving the power of creativity across the agency’s key markets.
“BBH USA has built a strong creative reputation in the U.S. for championing and producing culturally relevant and diverse ideas and experiences for brands. With Erica joining us and our team of creative all-stars, we will continue to bring this approach to life—both in the work we do for our clients and in the culture we create for our people,” said Duncan in a statement.
“Erica has talent to burn. She’s won everything there is to win. But, much more than that, she has character,” added Grieve in a statement. “Her huge ambition is matched only by her huge heart. She’s empathetic, straight-talking and resilient. Erica is the shepherd this flock of black sheep needs. We expect great things.”
BBH USA has enjoyed strong growth over the past 18 months, with headcount increasing by 77%—and the agency landing new clients including LinkedIn, Google, Walmart, Mattel, Netflix, Lionsgate and Martell U.S.