Leo Burnett UK Appoints Lilli English as Chief Strategy Officer

​Leo Burnett UK has appointed Lilli English as its new chief strategy officer.

In her role, Lilli will lead the agency’s award-winning strategy department, shaping planning across the client portfolio and working closely with CEO Carly Avener and chief creative officer Mark Elwood to drive new business and fuel agency growth. She will report directly to Carly.

Bringing over 15 years of strategic leadership experience, Lilli joins from Portas, where she spent almost five years as chief strategy officer. There, she spearheaded a repositioning of the agency’s strategic offering and worked with brands at the intersection of culture, commerce and creativity, including Sainsbury’s, Ikea, Pandora, and Farrow & Ball.

Prior to Portas, Lilli spent eight years at BBH in senior leadership roles, including Head of Strategy, Head of Experience Strategy and Managing Partner. During her tenure, she led strategy for brands such as Absolut and Costa and played a pivotal role in the transformation of Tesco, launching the award-winning “Food Love Stories” platform and helping to deliver more than £2.2 billion in incremental revenue.

Lilli began her strategy career at Leo Burnett, working on McDonald's UK and leading the strategic launch of McCafé, work that earned some of the industry's highest accolades, including a Cannes Creative Effectiveness Lion, a Gold IPA Effectiveness Award, and the Marketing Society Grand Prix.

Outside of advertising, Lilli is an accomplished illustrator, having published two children’s books and produced commissioned work for brands such as Chanel, Henry Holland and The Design Museum.

Carly Avener, CEO at Leo Burnett UK, said, "We’re thrilled to welcome Lilli back to Leo’s. She’s a force of nature - brilliantly creative, commercially sharp, and deeply attuned to what moves people in every corner of the brand experience. Lilli has an innate understanding of the power of populist creativity to drive both emotional connection and business growth. Her return comes at a hugely exciting time for the agency as we continue to build momentum with some of the UK’s biggest and best-loved brands."

Lilli English, chief strategy officer at Leo Burnett UK, added, “Leo’s is where I first fell in love with the magic of strategy and that’s stayed with me ever since. Coming back feels both familiar and completely future facing. I’m excited to get stuck in and help shape the next chapter of populist creativity at Leo Burnett."

​Josh Bullmore has stepped into the role of chief strategy officer of Publicis Groupe UK’s creative practice. Bullmore will remain closely involved with the agency, continuing to lead key client relationships.