GUT Appoints Andrea Diquez as First Global CEO
Today, independent creative agency network GUT names Andrea Diquez as its first global chief executive officer, who will be responsible for overseeing and growing the entire GUT Network alongside founders Anselmo Ramos and Gaston Bigio, GUT’s partners and leadership, effective November 2nd. The global CEO role is a first for GUT since its founding in 2018, whose Network now operates six offices across five countries worldwide.
Andrea brings 28+ years of industry experience with her, having served as CEO at DDB Chicago and at Saatchi & Saatchi New York before that. She is known for building diverse, high-performing and inclusive teams that deliver tangible business results via breakthrough creative. Over the course of her career, Andrea has led iconic brands and businesses across multiple markets and continents, driving organizational transformation and delivering high-impact results for clients globally.
“As we’ve grown bigger and expanded our offices around the world, there was a need for someone who could help us with our rapid expansion, while continuing to cultivate and spread our culture across the Network. So for us, Andrea was the perfect person to do that with,” said Gaston Bigio, co-founder and creative chairman of GUT. “I’ve always known that eventually Andrea and I would work together again, so I’m happy this day has finally arrived. With her bringing her global experience to GUT, I’m excited to have her help us get to a place of continued growth and bolster our client roster in different markets around the world, getting us even closer to becoming one of the most diverse, creative, and influential independent networks ever.”
Originally from Venezuela, Andrea was most recently CEO of DDB Chicago, where her focus was building the team, partnering with key clients, including Molson Coors, Army, State Farm, Emerson, Mars and McDonald’s, and attracting new clients including Orkin, Reynolds Consumer Products and Bimbo Bakeries. Prior to that, she served as CEO of Saatchi & Saatchi New York, successfully expanding and diversifying its client base, while revitalising the creative reputation of the agency during her five-year tenure there. Prior to returning to New York in 2013, Andrea was CEO of Saatchi & Saatchi Mexico, where, in just two years, she successfully doubled the agency's business and led them to win numerous international creative and business awards.
“We’ve been looking for a gutsy CEO, which is not easy to find, but we couldn’t think of a better person than Andrea,” said GUT co-founder and creative chairman Anselmo Ramos. “Her career speaks for itself – she’s helped build successful teams and created some of the industry’s most famous work because not only does she truly care about creativity, but more importantly, she deeply cares about people and DE&I. Andrea understands what being People-first means to us. She also understands that diversity drives creativity, so her expertise in building successful and diverse teams, as well as helping talent thrive in this industry, was also why it was really important for us to have Andrea as part of our team. Ultimately, our values and the vision we have for the Network are the same, and that’s what’s most exciting for us about her joining our gutsy family.”’
One of the most influential executives in advertising, Andrea has helped build and transform some of the most prominent brands globally and across North America, including, P&G, Mondelēz, Subway, Walmart, Mars, McDonald’s, Molson Coors, US Army, USAA, Coca-Cola, Campbell’s Snacks, WNBA, Nestlé, Novartis and Prudential among many others. She’s also been recognised at the industry’s top international award shows, including at The Effies, Cannes Lions, D&AD, The Clios and The One Show.
“GUT is all about people, and that has been my core focus throughout my career,” said Andrea. “When people are happy, they attract other great people, and ultimately, that helps drive tangible results for clients, as well as for the agency. GUT understands this philosophy because it’s at the heart of everything they do. Together, I’m hoping we can continue to foster creativity and fun, building on the existing foundation Anselmo, Gaston, the Partners and leadership teams have already established. This isn’t a job one does alone, so I’m looking forward to getting to know everyone one-on-one, figuring out what the team needs and how I can best help them succeed.”
In 2018, Andrea was honoured as an Ad Age Woman to Watch, where she was recognized for her ability to create change in the industry by building diverse teams that focus on delivering impactful creative solutions for clients. She was also selected as one of Adweek’s first-ever ADCOLOR Champion Award honourees in 2019, which is an award for executives who successfully influence DE&I in the marketing, advertising, media, tech and entertainment spaces. In 2020, she was also appointed by Cannes Lions to be part of its Creative Effectiveness Jury, as well as named Co-Chair of the US Effie Grand Jury that same year.
