In news we missed, mcgarrybowen followed the debut of its first work for new client Intel and staffing changes at its New York and San Francisco offices by announcing the appointment of its first CCO: New York MD/ECD Mark Koelfgen.
The agency did not send out a release, choosing instead to confirm Koelfgen’s promotion at its town hall event on Friday.
mcgarrybowen hired Koelfgen directly from GSD&M, where he served as ACD, in 2005; prior to joining GSD&M, he worked as an ACD at Deutsch New York after beginning his copywriting career at DDB/Tracy Locke in Dallas. mcgarrybowen hired Koelfgen as a creative director, and he worked on the Reebok and Brahma beer accounts before being promoted to the MD/ECD position in the agency’s New York office in 2009.
Koelfgen’s accomplishments during his tenure at mcgarrybowen include the successful launch of Verizon’s Droid brand, which led to the agency’s subsequent victory in the Verizon Mobile pitch (a pitch on which he was lead creative).
The agency says that they picked him after searching for candidates both internally and externally. As a member of the New York leadership team, the new CCO will work closely with mbNY President Tom Sewell and Global CSO Jennifer Zimmerman while reporting directly to co-founder Gordon Bowen (who currently oversees global creative strategy).
In addition to Verizon, Koelfgen’s portfolio includes work for Pepsi, AT&T, Microsoft, American Airlines, IKEA, Snapple and more.