Matthew Bull is stepping down from his position as chief creative officer of mcgarrybowen New York, Adweek reported Friday. He is expected to leave his position by the end of July.
While the agency did not provide a reason for Bull’s departure, Adweek wrote it is “understood to be related to a personal matter” involving a close relative recovering from a car accident.
Bull replaced Mark Koelfgen as New York in October of 2015, as Koelfgen left the agency after a decade to “pursue new opportunities.” Shortly before joining mcgarrybowen, Bull closed The Bull-White House, the agency he founded in 2011, after serving six and a half years serving as chief creative officer for Lowe & Partners Worldwide.
“I have loved my time at mcgarrybowen, and have been surrounded by special people, both from a personal and professional perspective. I know they will continue to go from strength to strength,” Bull said in a statement provided to Adweek.
“Matthew’s inspirational qualities and his desire to push the creative product to new heights and in new directions has been very much at the heart of our overall resurgence,” added mcgarrybowen U.S. CEO Simon Pearce. “I am deeply grateful for his contributions and commitment during his tenure during what has been an important and successful chapter in the mcgarrybowen story.”
The agency’s U.S. chief creative officer, Ned Crowley, will step into the role as interim CCO for the New York office. Crowley was promoted from Chicago CCO to U.S. CCO as part of an agency leadership shift in December of 2015.
Kurt Fries was also promoted to the role of executive creative director as part of the executive shakeup. Fries joined mcgarrybowen as group creative director back in February of 2012, following 14 years with FCB (then draftfcb). At mcgarrybowen, he has led creative on brands including Disney Destinations and helped win the Brita, Kingsford and Blue Cross Blue Shield accounts.
“Kurt’s passion and leadership is extraordinary, rallying our people and clients alike,” Crowley said in a statement to Adweek. “I have complete confidence that Kurt’s best days are ahead, and expect that he will continue to inspire great work that is highly effective for our clients.”
“The Chicago office has enjoyed tremendous growth over the past several years, and I am fortunate to be part of such a successful team,” Fries added. “We have a deep bench of creative talent of which I am tremendously proud to work side-by-side. Together, we are going to continue push the boundaries of creativity to drive brands.”