MDC-owned KBS (Kirshenbaum Bond Senecal+Partners) has appointed former JWT London boss and BETC executive Guy Hayward (left) as global CEO. KBS has offices in New York, London (it bought UK agency Albion last year), Los Angeles, Montreal, Toronto and Shanghai.
He takes over the top oerations role at KBS from Lori Senecal, who remains executive chairman. Last year she moved up to be president and CEO of the MDC Partner Network, effectively number two to founder and CEO Miles Nadal. MDC also owns Anomaly, Crispin Porter+Bogusky and 72andSunny, among others.
Senecal says:“Last year was the year we truly became a global company, adding significant talent in Europe and Asia through startups like KBS China and acquisitions like Albion London. As KBS continues to grow around the globe, Guy is the ideal internationalist to leverage this growing footprint and help all of our offices bring strong global perspective and world class creativity and invention to our clients.”
“What I love about Guy is that his values clearly align with those we care about deeply at KBS. He’s an entrepreneur with a passion for building standout companies, and he’s always had a creative first mindset. We are confident he will aggressively drive KBS to become the most inventive global agency as our growth continues around the world.”
Hayward moves from Havas-owned French network BETC Worldwide where he was global development director. Before that he was a highly-regarded CEO of JWT London and also worked at Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam before helping to found the 180 agency.
Hayward says: “I love the energy and mission of KBS, and I’m excited to work with Lori, the leadership team and MDC to continue to build KBS into a significant global agency. KBS’s range of capabilities make it one of the most modern creative forces in the business. The agency produces truly seamless communications for its clients and now, with the recent global expansion, is able to do this on a global scale.
“Albion in London is the perfect European partner for the agency and the start-up in Shanghai is led by high-profile Chinese talent. It’s an incredibly exciting time for the agency and I’m delighted to be a part of the team.”
