W+K Reveals New Global Management

(W+K's New Global Management Team)

 

Leading independent advertising agency Wieden+Kennedy (W+K) announced today two new additions to its global executive management team: Colleen DeCourcy and Mark Fitzloff, who will serve as global coexecutive creative directors. Along with these additions, partner and Global Chief Operating Officer Dave Luhr will assume the role of president, and Dan Wieden will become chairman of W+K’s global management team.

 

Also announced was the promotion of Joe Staples to executive creative director of W+K Portland. Staples will replace Fitzloff on the Portland management team, partnering with Susan Hoffman and Tom Blessington.

 

 

“I don’t think we’ve ever had a chairman, but now I are one—albeit an active one,” said Wieden smiling. “Between Dave and Mark, we have 40 years of proven W+K experience, respect and leadership. This level of talent and experience gave me the confidence to search outside the agency to find a third global management team member with digital expertise. Colleen brings an energy and a knowledge base that is second to none. I am convinced that our next 30 years are going to be pretty damn exciting.”

 

In his role as president, Dave Luhr will continue to steward W+K’s commitment to outstanding creativity and independence. Luhr has been with the agency since 1986 and became managing director of the Portland office in 1992 and a partner shortly thereafter. During his tenure, Luhr has touched nearly every piece of agency business, but his deepest impact has been helping to expand the company from being just one office to the largest independent network in the world. Luhr has been responsible for implementing a consistent agency culture and commitment to great work across the W+K network that has allowed each office to have the autonomy to attract clients and manage its own bottom line.

 

W+K welcomes Colleen DeCourcy from Socialistic, a social media content and design shop she founded in 2010 as chief creative officer and CEO. While at Socialistic, she won coveted accounts Red Bull and Fast Company, two of the leading content marketers in the world, and led work for Showtime, Coke and GE. Prior to this role, DeCourcy was the first chief digital officer for TBWA Worldwide, setting the network’s global digital strategy and leading digital efforts for adidas and Pepsi. DeCourcy’s career has included the roles of chief experience officer at JWT NY and chief creative officer at Organic, where she led creative on Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge. In 2006, she was named one of Advertising Age’s “Women to Watch.” DeCourcy is an outspoken critic of discrimination in the workplace.

 

Mark Fitzloff brings 13 years of leadership at W+K to his new role as global coexecutive creative director. He first joined the agency in 1999 as a copywriter, working on the AltaVista, Nike and Coca-Cola accounts. As creative director on Old Spice, he helped breathe new life into the dated, iconic American brand. In 2008, Fitzloff was appointed to the Portland management team as executive creative director, and he continues to lead work that both wins awards and pushes the clients’ bottom line. In this role, working alongside Coexecutive Creative Director Susan Hoffman and Managing Director Tom Blessington, Fitzloff’s leadership has helped transform Portland both creatively and financially, pushing the office to create some of the most beautifully honest and ambitious work in W+K history. Under the leadership of this team, W+K Portland has won accolades including distinguished agency of the year honors from a number of leading industry organizations and publications. Fitzloff and Hoffman have been the most award-winning creative directors on Creativity’s Awards Report for the past three consecutive years.

 

Joe Staples joined the W+K network in 2004, serving as a copywriter on the 2006 Nike World Cup campaign. Following that successful execution, he moved to W+K Portland in 2006, where he worked on Nike, Starbucks and Heineken. Prior to this promotion, Staples served as the creative director on Chrysler and Dodge.

 

“This agency is blessed with an abundance of amazing talent,” said Luhr. “And we only add to that talent with the hiring of Colleen DeCourcy. When you combine Mark Fitzloff’s proven creative leadership and Colleen’s digital expertise, our goal of becoming the best agency of the digital age should be that much more attainable. I look forward to teaming with Mark and Colleen and continuing the culture and heritage that this agency stands for.”