Johannes Leonardo appointed Dana May as integrated head of production, effective early next month, as reported in The Drum and other trade pubs.
She replaces Cedric Gairard, who ran the production unit since May of 2014 before leaving earlier this summer. In the new role, May will report directly to agency co-founders Jan Jacobs and Leo Premutico as well as president Bryan Yasko, who came over from Droga5 earlier this year.
In a statement, May wrote:
“I have been following the epic ideas and executions coming out of Johannes Leonardo for years, and can’t wait to work with some of the industry’s leading talent, while helping contribute to its growth trajectory. It feels like the perfect time to make the move to an agency that I know will keep me feeling inspired and challenged.”
May joins Johannes Leonardo from McCann New York, which she joined as an executive producer earlier this year. Before joining McCann New York she spent nearly four years as head of production for CHI&Partners, working with clients including The Wall Street Journal, Samsung, Hewlett-Packard, Diageo and InterContinental Hotels Group. Prior to that she spent three years as a senior producer with Droga5, working with PUMA, Activision, Unilver and others, followed by nearly a year and a half as a freelance senior producer with agencies Anomaly, BBH New York and Mother New York. During that period she worked with clients such as Budweiser, Google Chrome and RIF: Reading is Fundamental.
Last year Johannes Leonardo went through a round of departures including its CEO, its CSO, its co-ECDs and the TripAdvisor account. This year, however, the press release tells us that JL has seen “a 40 percent jump in revenue” and “a 27 percent increase in headcount.”