Barber Martin, the Richmond, Virginia-based agency which president/CEO Robyn Deyo purchased from founders Bob Barber and Bill Martin in May of 2014, has appointed Deb Hagan as chief creative officer.
The Richmond Times-Dispatch broke the news yesterday.
Hagan joins Barber Martin from fellow Richmond-based shop The Martin Agency, where she served as senior vice president, group creative director. She originally joined The Martin Agency from Walmart in September of 2012 as senior vice president and creative director on the agency’s Walmart account. Hagan joined Walmart as senior director of advertising and creative in 2010, following ten years as a feature director, commercial director and producer. Prior to that she spent two years at BBDO West as vice president, associate creative director, working with brands including Best Western, Starbucks and Earthlink. That followed a two-year stint as an art director with TBWA Chiat/Day L.A., working with brands such as Sony PlayStation, The Weather Channel and UnoCal 76 Gas Stations. Before that she spent two years in the same position with Fallon, where she worked with Jim Beam, Lee Jeans, Purina Dog Chow, Black & Decker and Children’s Defense Fund.
“I’ve known about Barber Martin and its work for a long time,” Hagan told the Richmond Times-Dispatch, “but I wanted to understand [owner and CEO Robyn Deyo Zacharias] and the agency thoroughly before making such a big leap. Once we talked, I could see we have very like mindsets in both our approach to business and our personal values.”
The Martin Agency chief creative officer Joe Alexander told the publication that Hagan’s responsibilities would be assigned to colleagues at the agency. “Keeping Deb in RVA is not only good for Barber Martin, but good for our creative community in general,” he added. “We wish her luck in her new role.”