Ogilvy has named Kevin Nelson WPP’s global client lead for IBM. He will also be responsible for leading Ogilvy’s global B2B practice.
Based at Ogilvy’s New York headquarters, Nelson will be responsible for bringing WPP’s capabilities and talent together for EightBar, a bespoke global team dedicated to IBM comprising strategy, creative, media, and data analytics experts from across WPP, including Ogilvy and GroupM.
Nelson joins from McCann Worldgroup, where he most recently served as managing director of McCann New York and global business lead for IPG’s dedicated global Microsoft unit.
“Kevin’s experience working at the intersection of technology, innovation, and transformation throughout his career will be incredibly valuable as we help drive IBM’s business forward,” said Devika Bulchandani, global chief executive officer of Ogilvy in a statement. “Kevin’s depth and breadth of expertise will also help us further accelerate our efforts to deliver compelling and meaningful experiences for clients across the rapidly evolving B2B landscape.”
Ogilvy has served as IBM’s global creative agency partner for nearly 30 years. Last year IBM was inducted into the Advertising Hall of Fame, just the 11th company to ever receive the recognition and the first B2B brand to do so.
Nelson’s arrival follows the addition of Matt Curry as global creative lead for IBM last fall.
“IBM is a company that has pioneered new eras of business throughout its 110-year history with a longstanding tradition of innovation and creative excellence. It’s an honor to be a part of that legacy and I look forward to bringing the best of WPP to IBM as we write the next chapter in the company’s evolution together,” said Nelson in a statement.
Nelson started his career at Y&R, a WPP agency. He later went on to a 20-year career at McCann where he was a strategist across multiple categories before being promoted to managing director of m:united//McCann, IPG’s dedicated global Microsoft Unit. In 2019, in recognition of his success leading Microsoft, Kevin was promoted to managing director of McCann New York and was part of Bulchandani’s team when she was president of McCann North America.
Under Nelson’s leadership, McCann was recognized globally for its “Changing the Game” campaign for Microsoft, which brought persons with disabilities into the gaming community as equal players. Prior to his role leading the Microsoft account, Nelson served as the agency’s global telco practice lead, where he focused on creating global growth strategies for the category while providing strategic leadership to Verizon.