MullenLowe West Is Poised for Growth with New Leadership in Los Angeles

MullenLowe West welcomes three industry leaders to its executive team as president Jenn Wong assembles a seasoned group of modern marketers with proven track records in both brand and agency settings to drive growth and innovation. 

“What makes this leadership team so strong is our deep understanding of the challenges brands face today because many of us have lived them ourselves,” Jenn said. “We’re uniquely positioned to think like a client and act like an agency, bringing a practised perspective and innovative approach to the total brand experience.” 

Steph Kohnen steps into the role of executive creative director to push and expand the boundaries of the agency’s creativity, not only propelling clients’ businesses but also grounding them in culture. Kohnen was previously at Deutsch LA, where she helped lead the Taco Bell business. Her award-winning campaigns, including “Mexican Pizza: The Musical,” featuring Dolly Parton, Taco Bell’s first global campaign, “Taco Moon,” and the Doja Cat x Mexican Pizza partnership, broke through the pop culture cycle, led to game-changing sales and was a contributing factor to Taco Bell landing a spot on Time’s 100 Most Influential Companies list. Kohnen also honed her craft at renowned agencies such as CP+B, WorkInProgress and David & Goliath, where she held leadership roles on iconic brands including American Airlines, Hershey’s, Kraft, Domino’s, Best Buy, Microsoft, Kia, Toyota, Lexus and NBC, and she won an Emmy for her work that launched The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon. 

Donesh Olyaie returns to the agency side as head of strategy, where he’ll connect meaningful business challenges to creative solutions using culture as a bridge. Olyaie spent the last three years as director of strategy at Keurig Dr Pepper’s internal creative marketing unit, Liquid Sunshine. Prior to that, he was at Deutsch LA, heading up planning teams for clients such as PetSmart, Nintendo and Angel Soft. Olyaie spent nearly a decade at David & Goliath developing data-driven strategies for Kia, Jack in the Box, LG Mobile and Universal Studios. He was instrumental in Kia’s rebrand, which positioned the company as a global leader in electrification, and Jack in the Box’s introduction into the social realm. 

Kim Withee takes on the newly created role of head of account management at MullenLowe West, where she’ll focus on strengthening client relationships and ensuring that the agency’s cross-functional teams deliver the most creatively transformative solutions. Withee brings a wealth of experience and a proven track record of success in driving impactful campaigns for high-profile brands. Most recently she served as program manager at Meta’s in-house creative agency, Creative X, where she led global marketing initiatives for WhatsApp and Instagram. Before that she was an agency operations consultant at NerdWallet, where she built out the company’s internal agency structure. Most of her career was spent on the agency side at Deutsch LA, TBWA\Chiat\Day LA and Team One developing comprehensive brand strategies and award-winning campaigns for brands including Volkswagen, Infiniti, Lexus, Target, Lowe’s and McDonald’s. 

“What’s truly exciting is these leaders’ passion for growing our business and team. I can’t wait to see the impact they’ll have on our clients and culture,” Jenn said.

"We’re not a new agency, but like our Octopus mascot, we’re constantly evolving,” said Frank Cartagena, CEO of MullenLowe U.S. “Our best work needs to always be in front of us. We’re building a team and creating a space for bold and modern marketers across both coasts to help take us there.”

This announcement follows the agency’s launch of the MullenLowe Design Studio, winning multiple pieces of new business and picking up 11 London International Awards.