Independent Los Angeles agency Phenomenon has parted ways with president Erica Hoholick as Phenomenon founder and CEO Krishnan Menon steps into a more active role in day-to-day leadership at the agency.
“Phenomenon is a brand innovation agency whose best work is led by a small, nimble and versatile team creating actions, not just ads. In an effort to get back to the core values the company was founded on, we decided to restructure our executive team, and I will be stepping back into a day-to-day role,” Menon explained in a statement. “As part of that, Erica Hoholick has departed the company. We are thankful for her contributions, and we look forward to continuing to build on our reputation as a world-class innovation agency solving challenges for world-class brands.”
It’s unclear if Hoholick has immediate plans to join another agency.
Hoholick joined Phenomenon as president at the start of 2018, following nearly four years as president of TBWA’s Apple-dedicated unit, TBWA\Media Arts Lab. Before joining Media Arts Lab, she spent over four years with Ogilvy, including a year as CEO for the agency’s global operational unit for Unilever brands. She joined Ogilvy as worldwide managing director for Dove at the beginning of 2011, following around six years as managing director for TBWA\Chiat\Day Los Angeles, managing Sara Lee brands, McDonald’s, Pepsi, Gatorade and P&G.
A source with direct knowledge of the matter confirmed that group brand director Jenn Cook has also left the agency.
The leadership changes follow the loss of the Intuit account, which led to a round of layoffs at the agency. Intuit subsequently launched a global creative review, which is ongoing.