72andSunny Amsterdam Announces Simon Usifo as President

72andSunny Amsterdam is proud to announce Simon Usifo as its new president. Usifo will join the office’s leadership team alongside Ben Armistead (executive strategy officer), Laura Visco (executive creative director), and Stephanie Oakley (director of production).

"I couldn’t be more excited to join 72andSunny Amsterdam. It’s one of the most fascinating creative agencies in the world with extraordinary talent and creative work that makes a real impact. I am deeply impressed with both the culture and the leadership team I got to know so far. I am thrilled to partner with Laura, Stephanie and Ben and to join this fantastic team in Amsterdam,” said Simon Usifo. “I will always remain grateful for the great time I’ve had with the wonderful people of Ogilvy in the past 10 years, and I am proud of what we’ve achieved together for our clients as a team."

In his new role, Simon will be responsible for leading the Amsterdam office’s business health and growth, as well as nurturing its vibrant culture as the company heads into an exciting new chapter. In addition to long-standing relationships with clients such as Google, The Coca-Cola Company, Zurich and LikeMeat, in the last few months alone, the company has brought on additional partners including Under Armour,  Fitbit and YouTube. 

Along with the rest of the leadership team, Simon is excited to steer the agency and its clients into the future. The addition of Simon brings even more international expertise to an already globally-minded and experienced leadership team. With German, French, Spanish, and English insights and languages all represented at native levels, the leadership team is uniquely positioned to serve the continent and brands looking to breakthrough across borders.

As an agency with a unique legacy that includes being sued by the Vatican, redefining masculinity and shaving some balls, irreverence and cultural agitation have always delivered high-breakthrough work for 72andSunny Amsterdam’s partners. As the ways and places that people experience brands become ever more varied, the playgrounds for this cultural provocation are becoming ever more exciting.

Simon joins from Ogilvy Germany, where he served as chief client officer and regional business lead for Coca-Cola EMEA. Prior to accepting leading roles in Germany, where he started as Managing Director of Ogilvy Berlin, Simon was the Director Digital Strategy at Ogilvy Shanghai. He spent over five years advising global brands such as Sprite, LVMH, Chanel, Philips, Unilever, Nestlé, and Huawei, mainly in the areas of Customer Engagement, Content Strategy and modern advertising. Before moving to China, Simon lived and worked in London, where he held senior roles in Account Management, at Wunderman and Ogilvy, working with brands such as IBM, Ford and Microsoft. Simon also sits on the advisory board of upfeel.io, as an advisor and investor. With its EAP (Employee Assistance Program) platform, the French startup based in Paris helps companies to take care of the mental well-being of their employees.

As Ben Armistead, Executive Strategy Director said, "72andSunny Amsterdam has always been a collective of brilliant wanderers and ambitious adventurers with open minds and a hunger for something new, something more. It’s a place where people from all over the world come to build brands that breakthrough across borders. In his life and work, Simon has constantly stepped out of his comfort zone and excelled. When we first met him, the connection was instantaneous. We knew we'd found a kindred spirit - and that this was going to be our greatest journey."

“Looking for someone to step in as President is not an easy task, and our focus was on finding someone who shares our beliefs in the power of creativity and is truly committed to building the next chapter of 72andSunny Amsterdam for many years to come”, said Laura Visco, Executive Creative Director. “A values-driven, thoughtful, passionate and all-around good person, which seems like an impossible task. But we’ve found that person in Simon. Lucky us.”

“The addition of Simon and his background building platforms for creativity to the powerhouse leadership team of Ben, Laura and Stephanie just further ignites the momentum of 72andSunny Amsterdam in delivering creativity that drives impact for our clients”, said Evin Shutt, CEO, 72andSunny. 

Simon will officially step into his role as President in early 2022.