Agencies are nothing without their fearless leaders—and this week was definite proof of that. Check out who’s leading agencies worldwide toward expansion into new industries, locations and activations.
160/90
Tischen Franklin joined Endeavor-owned cultural marketing agency 160/90 as executive creative director. Franklin will work alongside partner Christian Carl to strengthen the agency’s presence with cultural insight, influence and access.
Activision Blizzard
Activision Blizzard appointed Kristen Hines as its chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer. Hines joins from her previous role leading global DEI practices at Accenture—and has over 20 years of experience working to transform culture at companies around the world.
Alkemy X
Director Alexander Maxwell signed to Alkemy X’s roster for commercial representation. Maxwell has worked with brands like IKEA, AT&T, Progressive and American Express to produce content across lifestyle, comedy and luxury categories.
Amp
Andres Reyes is joining full-service marketing agency Amp as vp, marketing and brand activation. Reyes will leverage a human experience approach centered in immersive physical experiences to deepen connections between brands and consumers.
Aruliden
Global design agency Aruliden appointed Aaron Easterbrook as its creative lead for Aruliden Europe. Having previously served as creative director and partner at Browns, Easterbrook is known for working with internationally acclaimed artists, photographers and designers.
Baldwin&
Baldwin& expanded its team with four new hires. Jenny Thackham was appointed designer, Donnine Canamar senior art director, Kateri David copywriter and Brianna Scarduzio account manager.
Brandtech Group
Linsey Loy joined The Brandtech Group as chief growth officer and partner, with the goal of taking the group’s business capabilities to the next level. Loy previously held leadership positions at Dentsu-owned iProspect, Deutsch and TBWA\Chiat\Day.
Forsman & Bodenfors
Eric Zuncic, previously strategy chief at DDB, is joining Stagwell’s F&B as its managing director. Zuncic will work to elevate the agency’s global profile and collaboration with clients by focusing on the intersection of business and creativity.
Havas Creative
Havas Creative appointed Alex Brown as its U.K. head of new business and marketing. Brown comes from her previous role as head of business development Europe at Virtue Worldwide—and will be responsible for flagship U.K. agencies, including Havas London and Havas CX helia.
Hub San Francisco
Hilary Wolfe joined Hub San Francisco as its creative director and partner. Wolfe will work with agency president Mike Reese and founder DJ O’Neil to grow the company and expand its creative-first approach.
Incubeta
Incubeta appointed Kevin Buerger as the new CEO of its U.S. division, where he will drive the agency’s digital marketing efforts and grow its team and client roster. Buerger’s previous experience includes founding Jellyfish’s U.S. division in 2010 and leading the company to become a top two global Google partner.
Keithcity Group
Keithcity Group is expanding its NFT and metaverse development by adding BR1 to its roster and leading its marketing and asset creation. Twitch Founder Justin Kan recently joined as as advisor and investor in BR1’s second mint.
Ketchum
Ketchum has hired Jen Fuhrman-Kestler as evp and managing director, health services and Angelena Abate, who joined as evp and managing director, earned media strategy.
London Alley
London Alley signed Grammy-nominated director Colin Tilley as a commercial director. Tilley has produced music videos for Justin Bieber and Megan Thee Stallion—and in the past year directed collabs between McDonald’s and J Balvin, Tim Horton and Justin Bieber and Under Armour and Steph Curry.
M&C Saatchi Sports & Entertainment
M&C Saatchi Sports & Entertainment North America announced its new events and experiential production division, led by recent hire Amanda Dawson. Serving as senior producer, Dawson will oversee operations from one-to-one connections all the way to large scale consumer engagement opportunities.
Mediahub
Valeria Mares was named Mediahub’s new evp, executive director of communications planning, a new role created as a result of recent global agency growth with clients including Pacaso, Pinterest and Western Union. Mares will be based in Mediahub’s New York headquarters and lead the agency’s communications planning teams.
Open Swim
Nate Bloom joined Open Swim as its chief blockchain officer, where he will guide interested partners in development to their own properties, relationships, sponsorships and fundraising. Bloom is known for his expertise in all things blockchain, NFTs and Web3 and has previously worked with Open Swim founder Bradley Ross to build the company’s digital portfolio and curate NFT collections.
Pavone
Independent, full-service marketing agency Pavone has hired Peter Harris as its executive creative director, president and CEO. In his role as the agency’s creative lead, Harris will enhance the shop’s overall creative output, assist with new business development and oversee work for a variety of clients. Pavone and its holding company, Pavone Marketing Group, have offices in Philadelphia, Atlanta, New York and Harrisburg, Pa. Harris will work primarily from the Atlanta office.
RSA Films
RSA Films signed director Brent Harris for commercial representation in the U.S. and U.K. With previous work including Nike’s “Love Your Dream” and Nascar’s “Join the Battle,” Harris has worked with numerous global clients including Coca-Cola, EA, Expedia and McDonald’s.
Seekr Technologies
Internet technology company Seekr Technologies expanded its marketing team with two new senior hires. Frank Huckabone will serve as chief revenue officer, leading revenue growth through sponsorship advertising. Pat LaCroix will serve as senior vice president of revenue optimization, also working to drive sponsorship revenue growth.
Special
New Zealand-native independent creative group Special launched in Europe with its new office in London. Jennifer Black will serve as partner and CEO of Special London, alongside a global team of leaders at five international offices in Los Angeles, Auckland, Wellington, Sydney and Melbourne.
Spiro
Spiro, a brand experiences agency under the GES umbrella, has named John Trinanes chief creative officer. In his new role, he will draw upon more than two decades of industry experience to spearhead the strategic and creative direction of the new agency.
SS+K
SS+K added six new creative hires to align with new business growth. Lucas Crigler joined as creative director and Grace Ren as art director. Cooper Evoy, Rick Morrison, Benita Antony and Monica Apodaca all joined as associate creative directors.
Starcom
Publicis Media’s Starcom announced Emma Morris as its head of investment. Morris previously served as Starcom’s managing partner—where she oversaw the agency’s dedicated Samsung team—and is now transitioning into responsibility for all of the company’s investment on behalf of U.K. clients.
Studio Mococo
California-based brand strategy and design studio Studio Mococo announced the addition of Linda Bracanovich as its managing director. Bracanovich will lead marketing and business development initiatives, with the goal of expanding agency awareness and guiding nationwide growth.
Superunion
Izgi Yapici is joining WPP creative company Superunion as executive creative director. Previously a creative director at Interbrand, Yapici will lead the agency’s roster—with clients including The Coca-Cola Company, Google and NASA.
Zulu Alpha Kilo
Zulu Alpha Kilo promoted David Tremblay to managing director of its new Vancouver office. Tremblay has been with the agency since 2015, leading award-winning campaigns across industries including automotive, healthcare, retail and CPG.