Emily Chang Named CEO of Wunderman Thompson’s West Coast Region

By Kyle O'Brien 

Wunderman Thompson North America CEO Audrey Melofchik has appointed Emily Chang to lead the agency’s West Coast offices, including L.A., Seattle and the Swift boutique agency in Portland.

Chang comes to Wunderman Thompson from McCann Worldgroup, where she was CEO, China, overseeing four agencies. In the last three years, she restructured the leadership team and developed new strategic and digital capabilities to grow revenue over 40% within the first 18 months and deliver record high margins. During this period, her focus on creating a sense of belonging also improved employee satisfaction while reducing turnover by over 10%.

“Emily is a powerhouse leader. She has tremendous vision, unparalleled energy, a pulse on culture and a gigantic heart,” said Melofchik in a statement. “She will bring our people together to deliver inspiring brand stories along with deep specialty expertise across the marketing ecosystem, so marketers have a partner to demonstrate real growth.”

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At Wunderman Thompson, Chang will oversee the region’s growing client portfolio, which includes Microsoft, T-Mobile, Qualcomm, Venmo and Snap, as well as major automotive brands and DTC companies.

Chang built her career on the brand side as CMO of Starbucks China, as well as chief commercial officer for InterContinental Hotels Group, greater China. She was also the first executive in China for Apple Retail. She began her career in the U.S. at P&G, where she worked across all three business units.

“Wunderman Thompson has creative as the heart, data as the brain and technology as the hands that make them the gold standard of integration,” said Chang in a statement. “As a competitor, I’ve watched Wunderman Thompson’s build its reputation as the authority on inspiration and look forward to tapping into this insight and adding inspiration of my own when it comes to our clients and culture.”

Chang teaches a masters course in finance at NYU, is a member of the board of directors for SOS Children’s Villages, and recently published a best-selling book called “The Spare Room.” She has delivered four TEDx talks and has spoken at industry-leading events including the Fortune Most Powerful Women Summit. She was recently named one of China’s 2022 Women to Watch. Over the past year, she has served as a judge for the New York Festivals AME Awards, Effie Awards, ROI Festival and The Drum Awards.

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