Mark Mulhern named CEO of We Are Unlimited

Mark Mulhern

Mark Mulhern

Versatile agency leader Mark Mulhern will take over as Chief Executive Officer at We Are Unlimited, the full-service Michigan Ave. shop dedicated to McDonald’s U.S. advertising and marketing efforts, on January 8.

He will replace current CEO Brian Nienhaus, who will move into a new role within OMC that will be announced later.

Since launching his career as the Guinness representative at Dublin’s Trinity College in the 90s, Mulhern has gained experience in a variety of accounts including airline, grocery, petcare, and technology.

Along the way, he has been appointed to upper level management positions for the likes of BBDO and JWT, and he also led the pro-bono Autism Speaks account to its Cannes Lions winning MSSNG campaign.

Mulhern — who described We Are Unlimited as “today’s agency of the future” in a press release this week — said that, “I am thrilled to join and to be a part of the McDonald’s story.”

He will be leaving Hearst-owned iCrossing New York, where he has helped sharpen the edge of Amazon, Bayer, and several other key accounts while serving as President since 2015. During that time, the digital shop was named Advertising Age’s 2017 “Agency to Watch.”

The higher-ups at both McDonald’s and We Are Unlimited’s parent company, DDB, expressed enthusiasm for his decision to come on board.

“We welcome Mark and look forward to leveraging his expertise as we build upon our creative and integrated marketing approach,” said McDonald’s USA Chief Marketing Officer Morgan Flatley.

“Mark’s unique background, anchored in traditional creative excellence and data-driven media thinking makes him the perfect leader for Unlimited,” said Wendy Clark, CEO of DDB North America.

Brian Nienhaus
Brian Nienhaus

Flatley and Clark also expressed their gratitude for Brian Nienhaus, Unlimited’s current CEO.

“We are grateful for Brian’s leadership and his incredible commitment during this first year of our new agency model,” said Flatley.

“We want to thank Brian for the contributions he’s brought to the table,” added Clark.

Nienhaus, who has been essential in growing Unlimitied since it launched last year, also gives Mulhern a thumbs-up.

“I’m so proud to have been a part of creating and building this truly innovative and aspirational agency,” he said. “I know the agency will be in good hands with Mark.”