Guess we should’ve seen it coming when Bob Scarpelli handed over global chief creative duties at DDB Worldwide to Amir Kassaei back in February. After remaining on as chairman after the transition, Scarpelli will now officially step down from the agency he’s called home for 35 years at the end of 2011.
In a statement, Scarpelli, who will still consult for DDB and has now returned to Chicago from New York, says, “I have had a magical career at DDB. I’ve been fortunate to work with some amazingly smart and talented people over the years, both at the agency and at our clients. But now it’s time for me to step back, pay full attention to my family and my health, and enjoy whatever surprises life has in store for me.”
Scarpelli, who started his career as a copywriter at what was then Needham Harper & Steers, took on the role of DDB Worldwide chairman/CCO in 2006 before giving up the latter title to Kassaei.