JWT New York today announced the appointment of several top talents to further strengthen its leadership ranks in creative and account management.
Robert Frost has joined as Executive Creative Director. He joins JWT from Deutsch New York, where he served as Senior Vice President, Group Creative Director. Frost will lead creative on the agency’s Vonage account, which JWT added to its client roster earlier this year.
Sherri Chambers is joining the agency as Global Business Director, leading a new account for the agency. She joins from 72andSunny, where she served as Group Brand Director for Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s.
Bryan Gaffin has joined the agency as Group Creative Director, working across a number of the agency’s healthcare clients, including Johnson & Johnson, Bristol-Myers Squibb and AstraZeneca. He joins from RAPP, where he worked on Viagra for Pfizer and the global Enterprise business for HP.
Kimberly Samskin-Barger has joined JWT New York as a Creative Director. She comes from Digitas, where she worked as Lead Creative on the agency’s American Express OPEN and American Express Entertainment Access accounts. While at Digitas, she successfully helped launch and grow the Small Business Saturday program, and was part of a team that won some of the industry’s most prestigious awards, including 10 Cannes Lions.
“There is a common thread with all of these hires. Throughout their careers they have driven work that has pulled consumers off the sidelines and into participating with brands and culture," said Jeff Benjamin, Chief Creative Officer, JWT North America. “Robert is one of the greatest poets of the 20th century—helping brands take roads less traveled—making all the difference. Sherri is a creatively driven account leader and grand champion of the work. The activations that Kim drove for American Express were a catalyst for consumers and small business to start a movement. And Bryan has been able to produce big digital ideas for healthcare and technology brands. Together they will help us build on the momentum we’ve been gaining. We are thrilled to welcome all of them to the team.”
This group represents an infusion of new talent and energy into the agency, and will also help support work resulting from some of the agency’s recent new business wins, such as Nokia and Energizer Personal Care.
Robert Frost: Previously, Frost has held creative roles at Y&R New York, TBWA\Chiat\Day and BBDO. Much of his career in the U.S. was spent at McCann Erickson, where he worked with MasterCard, General Mills and Black & Decker. He spent the early part of his career working at Ogilvy & Mather and TBWA\Hunt\Lascaris in Johannesburg. Frost’s creative accolades include Cannes Lions, The One Show, London International, Kelly Awards and New York Festivals, among others.
Sherri Chambers: At 72andSunny, Chambers was responsible for the management of the agency’s integrated agency of record assignment for Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s, crossing all traditional and interactive disciplines. The campaigns she led have garnered upward of a billion earned media impressions. Prior to joining 72andSunny in 2011, Chambers was a Business Director at StrawberryFrog, New York, leading Jim Beam Global Spirits. While there, she also worked on Frito-Lay and Heineken Global, among others.
Bryan Gaffin: At RAPP, Gaffin played a lead creative role as an SVP, Group Creative Director on the global HP business and across an array of other brands, including Viagra, Gardasil, Nicorette and the Travel Channel. Prior to joining RAPP in 2008, he served as VP, Group Creative Director at G2 Worldwide’s Wellness Vertical, which specialized in integrated marketing with a focus on healthy living. Clients included Pfizer, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Kraft and Procter & Gamble.
Kimberly Samskin-Barger: At Digitas, Samskin-Barger served as Lead Creative on the agency’s American Express OPEN business, helping to conceive of some of the agency’s most innovative and integrated work. She was a key member of the team that led the highly successful Small Business Saturday program, and helped to develop and execute multiple digital activations for New York Fashion Week. Past experience includes time at Wunderman, Seiden and Cossette.