Less than two weeks after we first reported that Suzanne Michaels left DigitasLBi and was potentially assuming an executive creative director role at Critical Mass, the latter agency has now made it official. Michaels has indeed joined Omnicom-owned Critical Mass as part of the agency’s “larger investment in developing talent and creative excellence.” Michaels now joins a leadership team that also includes Amanda Levy, a seven-year CM vet who has now been bumped up general manager (but will continue in her role as SVP/client partner for Nissan and Infiniti North America) and Lisa Penelton, a Razorfish alum who joins CM as VP/marketing science. Together, the trio will oversee business and operations across CM’s Chicago and L.A. office.
Regarding her new gig, Michaels (pictured right, with Levy), who officially left DigitasLBi on Jan. 6 after four-and-a-half years, says in a statement, “Agencies everywhere are at a precipice, thinking about who they are and what they want to be. With its expertise in business strategy, user experience and design, Critical Mass is poised to fill a very compelling white space. We can be the partner who helps brands do more than just advertise to people, and become a chosen part of their lives through software, products, and experiences.”
One can say that it’s been a fairly busy start to the year for Critical Mass, which along with its latest leadership appointments, welcomed Huge alums Conor Brady and Chris Hayes as global CCO and CMO, respectively, and is merging its London ops with Agency Republic, effective Jan. 18.