James Jenkins Takes over as the New CEO of Forsman & Bodenfors Sweden

Image credit: Rasmus Brandin, F&B Studios

In early September, James Jenkins was recruited to the role of head of business for Forsman & Bodenfors Sweden, and will move now to become the new CEO of the agency starting from January 1, 2024.  

James has a breadth of experience across the creative and marketing industries and has worked closely with some of the world's leading brands, including Nike, Xbox, and Anheuser Busch InBev. He started his career at AKQA, where he spent 12 years helping build and grow the business, including time in London and San Francisco. In 2016 he joined B-Reel in the role of global COO, further expanding his horizons and experience. He relocated from Brooklyn back to Sweden this summer and will now continue to strengthen the collective offering at Forsman & Bodenfors, shaping the business in Sweden for the future, and working in close collaboration with Toby Southgate and the Global Management Team.  

“I’m humbled to take on the role of group CEO for F&B Sweden: I'm proud to pick up the recent journey from Leif, and to be standing on the shoulders of the giants that built this incredible agency. Of course, I'm ambitious to continue developing our partnerships with our clients. We have so much talent and capability to work with today. We are 36 years old but, in some respects, we are just getting going,” said James Jenkins. 

Leif Sorte will remain with the company as chairman and advisor in the Swedish operations.  

“With James in place, it is a good time for me to pass the baton to James and the group of leaders both in Sweden and globally. I am confident that a new voice, an outsider's perspective, and the international experience that James brings will be a really good injection into our continued international expansion. I look forward to working together with James in my new role,” said Leif Sorte.  

“Leif has done a fantastic job of uniting and driving the agency during his 23 years in leadership roles. We have a great relationship and I'm excited for him in his new role and this chapter of his career. I'm committed to making him proud in my new role.” 

“We are proud to share this news – a smooth, planned succession is tremendously important for any creative company going through change, and for the global Forsman & Bodenfors collective going forward. We are grateful to Leif for his huge contribution to the agency over the last 20+ years. And I’m happy that this is not a farewell, but a welcome to James. He brings new skills and experiences to our agency, and his international experience strengthens our customer offering going forward,” said Toby Southgate, Forsman & Bodenfors global CEO."