Justin Thomas-Copeland Named CEO of the 4As
The 4As has appointed former DDB North America president and CEO Justin Thomas-Copeland as its next chief executive officer, following the departure of Marla Kaplowitz, who will step down on May 30th after eight years in the role.
He is expected to build on the 4As’ legacy of championing the agency community, while helping its members navigate continued industry disruption and growth.
“Justin is a leader with the vision, expertise and passion needed to propel the 4As and its members into the future,” said Abbey Klaassen, chair of the 4As Board of Directors and CEO of dentsu Creative. “With a deep understanding of the industry’s complexities, he is the right person to champion agencies, drive strategic growth and advocate for the critical role agencies play in business and culture.”
Justin joins the 4As with extensive leadership experience across agencies and clients as well as a number of board positions, demonstrating a proven ability to navigate the complexities of agency operations and client organisations, foster innovation and build strong industry relationships. Justin most recently founded and led KINDRD Global, a marketing consultancy specialising in building brands through cultural connections. He was previously CEO of DDB North America, global CEO of OPMG Health (a division of Omnicom) and president and CEO of Rapp New York. He is known for reimagining how agencies create business value for their clients, bringing people together to form inclusive client-agency teams and set shared agendas, having a love of converging data, technology and creativity and using his natural ‘can do’ energy to co-create solutions.
“I am honoured to join the 4As and lead this incredible organisation at such a pivotal moment for the industry,” said Justin. “Agency value must remain at the forefront of creativity, business impact, modern marketing and cultural influence, and I look forward to collaborating with our members, partners and the broader marketing ecosystem to shape the future of the industry in this way. Thank you to Marla, the Board and the search committee for this opportunity.”
The search committee was assisted by global executive search firm Grace Blue. “Grace Blue is hugely proud to have had the chance to partner with the 4As on what is such an important and industry-defining role. It was a privilege to work with the team to find a new leader to take the organisation to the future,” said Grace Blue founder, Jay Haines.
As the leading trade association for the advertising and marketing industry, the 4As serves more than 600 member agencies across 1,200 offices, helping to direct more than 85% of total U.S. advertising spend. Through its advocacy, thought leadership, talent development programs and industry partnerships, the 4As is dedicated to empowering agencies to innovate, evolve and grow.
Justin will officially assume the role effective today, transitioning alongside Kaplowitz until she departs on May 30th.
To read more about the 4As, click here.
