Rauxa, the Industry’s Largest Woman-Owned Agency, Names First Chief Creative Officer

Rauxa, a California-based full-service marketing agency, announced the hiring of Kate Daggett as its first chief creative officer on the same day it certified its status as the the largest independent agency currently owned by a woman.

Daggett brings more than 15 years of agency experience to the new role, which will see her leading Rauxa's creative teams across the country while working out of its New York office.

Before joining Rauxa, she served as executive creative director at Tenthwave Digital, a New York-based agency that was acquired by Wire Stone earlier this year. During her three-year tenure at Tenthwave, Daggett helped build the agency's creative department, led several successful pitches and played a key role in facilitating the acquisition. Previous roles include vp, group creative director at Digitas, where she ran the American Express account, along with creative director positions at TBWA\Chiat\Day New York and Agency.com.

"We may be an unknown agency now, but won't be for long," Daggett told Adweek about her new employer. "When I was considering joining Rauxa I did my research and actually spoke with agency folks who'd worked with them on shared business. I even called one of their past clients. The feedback I got was consistent. People said that they are an impressive agency, filled with smart people, which was a wonderful confirmation that Rauxa is an agency ready to compete on a bigger level."

"We are huge fans of Kate's work, leadership, innovative spirit and integrity," said Rauxa chief strategy officer Ian Baer. "We're excited about evolving our creative offering and thrilled that Kate is calling Rauxa home."

Direct Mail veteran Jill Gwaltney founded the agency in Costa Mesa, Calif., in 1999. Since then, the shop has expanded to include six offices and 230 employees across the United States. Its current client list includes Gap, Alaska Airlines, Allergan, Blue Shield of California and Verizon, which consolidated direct marketing duties for the FiOS portion of its business with Rauxa earlier this year. The agency has been largely defined by its data-driven approach to creative work.

Today Rauxa also used data drawn from Ad Age's 2016 Agency Report to tout its status as the industry's largest independent agency owned by a woman.

"Being independent means that we report to no one but our clients, allowing us to devise and deliver the very best solutions for them," said agency CEO Gina Alshuler in a statement. The executive, who took over for Gwaltney last year after working in accounts, added, "Being woman-owned and woman-led instills the team with a powerful combination of empathy and grit that has built enduring relationships with clients, partners and colleagues."

Daggett added, "As a female creative, it's hard not to love the fact that Rauxa is predominantly female-led. But beyond that, I saw an independent spirit and a deeply-routed tenacity in Rauxa that was exciting. We're going to make to make exceptional, award-winning work that will undoubtedly drive our clients' business amidst a rapidly evolving world—and we're going to have a lot of fun while doing it."