McCann Worldgroup has bolstered its creative leadership by hiring Shannon Washington as global chief creative officer of gotham, the network’s global boutique creative agency, which counts Maybelline New York as a core client.
McCann also named Shayne Millington chief creative officer of McCann New York, responsible for creative leadership of the agency.
Washington is the first senior creative appointment from Javier Campopiano, who joined McCann Worldgroup as global chief creative officer in September. will be responsible for creative leadership of gotham, bringing her immense talent and modern creativity to the agency and its clients. She will partner with Laurie Donlon, gotham’s president and CEO, to deliver the most culturally impactful and effective solutions for clients while expanding the agency’s client roster into complementary categories and brands.
“The ability to activate the full potential for brands, to not only drive culture but to vastly improve it, makes her an unmatched talent in our industry and the exact right person to take gotham forward,” said Donlon of Washington.
Washington joins from IPG sister agency R/GA U.S. where she served as U.S. chief creative officer, shaping creative vision, fidelity and culture for the agency’s flagship region. Washington’s promotion to that role made her the first Black woman U.S. chief creative officer in the history of all holding company agencies.
“Shannon has a pioneering spirit. Her approach to creativity blends innovation, tech, and cultural storytelling and it’s exactly what’s needed to drive growth for brands in today’s modern world. She is a true talent champion, empowering teams to find their voice and make amazing, award-winning and effective creative product,” said Campopiano in a statement.
Washington’s success leading creative work for a host of clients including TurboTax, Sephora, Samsung, and The Ad Council/Love Has No Labels campaign, led R/GA to win top industry awards and she was named to the Adweek Creative 100. Her past experience includes roles at TBWA\Media Arts Lab, Deutsch LA, Droga5 and Time Inc. She is a longstanding board member of The Marcus Graham Project and frequent guest lecturer and mentor for One School US.
“McCann Worldgroup’s incredible talent, focus on creativity and commitment to creating the conditions for everyone to thrive is perfectly aligned with my own ethos. I am excited to return to gotham and its team, the place where my journey in this industry truly began, and leverage the agency’s incredible track record in beauty, luxury and personal care with my love for technology and smart media to help brands in other categories grow by finding their rightful and impactful place in culture,” said Washington in a statement.
Millington has been recognized by every major industry award show, including the One Show, Effies, D&AD, Clios and Cannes Lions. Most recently, Millington served as co-chief creative officer alongside Pierre Lipton, a role they held together since November 2021.
Shayne Millington and Pierre Lipton previously served as co-chief creative officers at McCann New York.
Lipton will become global executive creative director for McCann Worldgroup, working across the company’s global brands.
“Shayne has been a driving force behind some of McCann New York’s most award-winning and culture-defining work, and a key part of expanding the agency’s design and content practices. Pierre has shaped some of our very best work on our global brands, and we know he’ll continue to make a global impact in this new role,” said Campopiano.
Under their leadership, McCann New York has had a strong creative year, becoming the most awarded agency in the network and recognized by Cannes Lions as the top performing New York agency. The shift enables Millington to take on leadership duties for McCann New York’s creative department, with Lipton focused on global brands.
“It’s exciting to deepen the bench of creative leadership at McCann Worldgroup and put leaders in the best positions to create the most positive impact,” said Campopiano.
McCann Worldgroup recently won global brand duties for Ikea, Smirnoff, and expanded its relationship with Reckitt’s Durex.