Anomaly Alliance Hires John Rowe as Managing Director

Today, Anomaly announces it has hired John Rowe as managing director of the Anomaly Alliance. In this newly created global role, he will continue to expand Anomaly’s geographic reach, talent pool, and capabilities via the Anomaly Alliance – a unique co-branded partnership model founded on acquisition rather than ‘affiliation.’ John will work closely with Anomaly founding partner and executive chairman Carl Johnson.

“John has a rare collection of first class skills and experience that made him the perfect person for this role: President of an overseas agency office, years of successfully managing global brands, with strategic sharpness, creative ambition and operational calmness,” said Carl. 

John will start by doubling down on the momentum from the Anomaly Alliance’s February acquisition of Paris-based digital brand and marketing consultancy What’s Next Partners (WNP). This move marked the Anomaly Alliance’s first acquisition as WNP joined an existing network of Anomaly offices in New York, Los Angeles, Toronto, London, Berlin, and Shanghai. 

John has over 20 years of experience in building some of the world’s most iconic businesses with an extensive tenure at Wieden + Kennedy (W+K) Portland and Tokyo. Joining W+K in 2005, he served in lead account management roles for brands including Starbucks, Heineken, Target, The Coca-Cola Company, and Facebook before taking the role as managing director in their Tokyo office. During his leadership, W+K Tokyo almost doubled in size in both revenue and staff, and the office won the Campaign Japan/Korea Independent Agency of the Year for three straight years. Returning to Portland for a newly created role, John spent the last five years leading W+K’s larger global relationships for the likes of Samsung, Meta, and VISA.

"There's so much ambition here that it's hard to not be excited,” said John. “Local independents wanting to be part of something bigger. Anomaly looking to expand its footprint and its capabilities. Clients looking for a global partner they can trust. I was in from the jump."

John starts his role immediately. Further acquisitions strengthening the Anomaly Alliance with like-minded and ambitious independent agencies who excel in their respective market will follow in the near future.