Wieden+Kennedy expands global leadership team

Wieden+Kennedy today announced strategic changes to its organizational structure, including a new global stakeholder group, and a new leadership team to oversee the agency’s emerging markets.  

As the company approaches its 35th birthday (in April 2017), Global President Dave Luhr and Global Chief Creative Officer Colleen DeCourcy saw a need to reshape agency leadership to position W+K successfully for the next 35 years. They have added 15 new members to the current nine-person partner group, which has been renamed to more accurately represent the leaders' role in the future of the agency. This leadership team will now be called Wieden+Kennedy Stakeholders.

“Our current nine-person partner group is based on a model we’ve outgrown," says Luhr, who, together with DeCourcy, oversees the global W+K network, which includes eight offices located in Amsterdam, Delhi, London, New York, Portland, Sao Paulo, Shanghai, and Tokyo. "That group doesn’t reflect the breadth of perspective and skills we want to see in the next generation of leaders, and the next, and the next. Given the size and complexity of the agency, we need more decision-makers representing more offices, more disciplines and different voices. Our leadership needs to be a bigger and better reflection of the agency we have become,” said Luhr.

Founded in 1982 by Dan Wieden and David Kennedy, W+K is known for its fierce independence and provocative body of work. W+K Stakeholders have a shared focus and role in making the agency a strong and creative leader into the next era.

“We are focused on making work that is culturally relevant and influential, and that lives across more places and channels," says DeCourcy. "We are rethinking what 'work' is, embarking on unexpected collaborations, and seeking to grow in interesting, smart ways. This group is charged with pushing us further down these roads and others we haven’t even considered."

"In addition to making extraordinary work," she adds, "this group exhibits, in abundance, qualities valued by W+K: creativity, inspiration, collaboration, leadership, vision and passion. They are leaders, focused on growing opportunities for the next generation of this place."

The W+K stakeholder group includes (new members indicated by an * and in bold):

Dan Wieden, Founder, Global Chairman

Dave Luhr, Global President

Colleen DeCourcy, Global Chief Creative Officer

*Claudia Valderrama, Chief Financial Officer

Kim Papworth, Executive Creative Director of Emerging Markets

*Karrelle Dixon, Director of Emerging Markets

Neil Christie, Managing Director, W+K London

Tony Davidson, Executive Creative Director, W+K London

*Iain Tait, Executive Creative Director, W+K London

*Paul Colman, Chief Strategy Officer, W+K London

*Helen Andrews, Deputy Managing Director, W+K London

*Neal Arthur, Managing Director, W+K New York

*Karl Lieberman, Executive Creative Director, W+K New York

Susan Hoffman, Executive Creative Director, W+K Portland

Tom Blessington, Managing Director, W+K Portland

Mark Fitzloff, Executive Creative Director, W+K Portland

*Joe Staples, Executive Creative Director, W+K Portland

*David Terry, Director of Strategic Planning, W+K Portland

*Alberto Ponte, Global Creative Director on Nike, W+K Portland

*Daniel Sheniak, Global Comms Director on Nike, W+K Portland

*Jessica Monsey, Group Account Director/Director of Publishing, W+K Portland

*Andre Gustavo, Managing Director, W+K Sao Paulo

*Eric Quennoy, Executive Creative Director, W+K Amsterdam

*Mark Bernath, Executive Creative Director, W+K Amsterdam

The agency also announced that Kim Papworth and Karrelle Dixon have been appointed to oversee the company’s emerging markets, in new roles as Executive Creative Director, Emerging Markets and Managing Director, Emerging Markets, respectively. Reporting directly into Luhr and DeCourcy, Dixon and Papworth will be based in London while spending time in W+K’s Tokyo, Shanghai and Delhi offices.

“Along with our creativity and independence, the W+K network is a key strength of this agency. Our offices in Tokyo, Shanghai and Delhi are well positioned for future growth. Allowing Kim and Karrelle to focus on these markets will help drive that momentum even quicker,” said Luhr.

Previously, Dixon was the Global Account Director for the agency’s largest (and foundational) account, Nike, based in Portland, OR. Karrelle joined W+K London in 2006 as an account manager on Nike and other agency brands. 

Papworth was Executive Creative Director for W+K London for 15 years, during which the agency created celebrated campaigns for Nike, Honda and Nokia, amongst others.

“These two are the best example of W+K’s belief in the power of partnership. Karrelle’s incredible energy and curious mind are perfectly met by Kim’s quiet power and indelible legacy of timeless creative work. I’ve got high expectations. It’s going to be fun to watch,” DeCourcy commented.

Founder and Chairman Dan Wieden says, “I am so damn proud of this place. We started as a ship of fools, and that, I quite firmly believe is why we have succeeded for almost 35 years. But I really never thought we would be talking about the next 35. The hope is always that the next generation does better than the one before them. I think under the leadership of Dave and Colleen, and this inspiring group of new stakeholders, we just might be onto something."