Rob Reilly, the global creative chairman of McCann Worldgroup who worked on the Fearless Girl Wall Street campaign for State Street Corp, is leaving IPG to become WPP's global chief creative officer.
Reilly, who will join the world's biggest advertising group in May, will champion creativity within and beyond the company, fostering a culture that delivers extraordinary work to clients.
The hire is seen as a signal that creativity remains at the heart of WPP despite the company simplifying operations, cutting the numbers of agencies and switching to a digital focus.
“Mark’s ambition is to make WPP the most creative company on the planet," Reilly says.
"For a creative person, that was impossible to resist. He is leading a complete reinvention of WPP and is committed to putting creativity at the center of everything the company does.
"I look forward to joining the talented team of people at WPP and helping its fantastic agencies continue to build on their success.”
WPP CEO Mark Read: “Rob is one of the world’s most celebrated creative leaders. He has been a transformative creative force wherever he has applied his considerable talent, and I know he will have the same impact at WPP. I am delighted that Rob is joining us as we look to make WPP synonymous with the world’s most creative, most effective and most forward-looking work – and at a time when this has never been more important to our clients.”
Reilly is also tasked with attracting and nurturing the best creative talent, driving inclusion and diversity in creative work and teams, and working with technology partners to fuel the creativity needed for their platforms.
He has led McCann Worldgroup’s creative resurgence – overseeing highly-awarded work that has shaped culture in the wider world, including the “Fearless Girl” statue on Wall Street for State Street Global Advisors.
McCann was also named Network of the Year at the 2019 Cannes International Festival of Creativity.
He has chaired several industry award show juries, including Cannes Lions three times. He is a member of The One Club for Creativity Board and the Facebook Global Client Council.
Before moving to McCann in 2014, he was Partner and Worldwide Chief Creative Officer at Crispin Porter + Bogusky.
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