Lucky Generals has picked Katie Lee as its first CEO. Lee was one of Paul Lawson’s management team at Y&R before owner WPP merged it into VML and decided it didn’t need the Y&R trio: CEO Lawson, CCO Jon Burley and Lee.
Prior to that Lee worked with Lawson at Leo Burnett for a long stint after spells at CDP, BBH and Saatchi. After Burnett she joined Gravity Road and then Sunshine as MD. Both parties will be hoping Lee’s new job turns out to be more permanent.
Lucky Generals, majority-owned by Omnicom’s TBWA, is in an interesting place. It’s recently started winning more substantial UK accounts including Amazon and the Co-op at the end of last year. It’s also planning to open in New York, which may be one reason for Lee’s appointment. British agencies have struggled mostly in the US and one reason often given is their failure, for one reason or another, to instal senior people/partners in NYC.
Lucky Generals’ founders are Andy Nairn, Helen Calcraft and CCO Danny Brooke-Taylor.
