EVP/Executive Creative Director Britt Nolan was promoted to the US chief creative officer position left vacant since Susan Credle departed last June for FCB New York.
Rich Stoddart, CEO of Leo Burnett Worldwide said the agency basically took its time in searching internally and externally for the right person. “You’re not doing your own talent a service if you don’t look inside.”
After joining Leo Burnett in 2009 as a creative director, Nolan rose through the ranks, being the creative lead on Allstate, Firestone, Kellogg’s and the Art Institute of Chicago. He also had stints at DDB, BBDO and other agencies.
He’s known for his work on Allstate’s 2015 “Social Savvy Burglar” (Nolan is part of the original Mayhem team) and recent work for the Art Institute of Chicago, in which the museum and Airbnb rented out a replica of Vincent Van Gogh’s “Bedroom.”
Nolan, “embodies what the modern creative looks like,” said Leo Burnett Worldwide CEO Rich Stoddart, who adds that the agency basically took its time in searching internally and externally for the right person. “You’re not doing your own talent a service if you don’t look inside.”
“Britt is a new breed — a modern, integrated thinker — and a prolific creative talent. Over the years he has produced mold-breaking work for major brands,” said Publicis Creative Chairman and Leo Burnett Global Chief Creative Officer Mark Tutssel in a statement.
“He’s a natural leader, a team builder and passionately believes in a ‘maker culture.’ I look forward to seeing the influence he’ll have in Chicago.”
“Often when you want to fill the job, sometimes the knee-jerk reaction is to look outside to find someone. But you’re not doing your own talent a service if you don’t look inside,” says Stoddart. He added that Nolan is an integrated thinker who has been able to build collaborative teams that beak out of traditional agency roles.
“One of Leo Burnett’s great strengths is that we have the firepower and diversity of talent to make anything you can imagine. “When we’re nimble, open-minded, and collaborative, we’re the best in the world, Nolan said in a statement. I’m incredibly excited for this opportunity to shape the future of Leo Burnett, to collaborate with some of the most talented and creative people in the business, and to make awesome things happen for our clients.”
