Three executive-level creative leaders have left the Chicago offices of FCB over the past month, and the agency tells us that global CCO Susan Credle has begun playing a larger role in that office’s operations as a result. Credle positioned these moves as an opportunity to facilitate positive change.
Today a spokesperson confirmed that ECD Samuel Luchini is no longer with the agency as of this week. His departure follows those of CCO Liz Taylor and ECD Jon Flannery earlier in May.
A party close to the agency told us that the three moves were not related and that their timing was coincidental, with Flannery heading to DDB for a higher-profile role running the Capital One account.
Today, Adweek reported that Taylor accepted a global leadership role at Leo Burnett.
“When I see change in one of our FCB agencies, I see new opportunities. I’m excited about the creative leaders who have joined us in Chicago these past two years,” said Credle in a statement. “The caliber of the creative work and the new business wins are a direct result of this talented bench.”
We’re told Credle has been visiting the office, meeting with creative leads and making assessments, with more potential changes to come.
She continued, “I can’t wait to work more closely with them the next few months. And I look forward to recruiting more great talent in the future. As we say at FCB, we are always a work in progress; always never finished. Positive change is inevitable.”
“I’m thankful to have had the opportunity to lead and work with amazing talent and clients at FCB,” said Luchini (portfolio here) after this post went live. “I’m also proud of the work we did together for Michelob Ultra that ran on the Super Bowl and Oscars, and especially to be able to contribute with the Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence. Here’s to the next chapter.”
The departed creative joined FCB last summer to lead Michelob Ultra after spending more than 6 years at Goodby Silverstein & Partners, and he worked on several high-profile projects in addition to that account, such as the recent Gun Violence History Book.