Susie Nam, who quit her role as CEO Americas at Droga5 in April this year, is now CEO of Publicis Creative US. Her new job puts her in the driving seat at all the group’s agency brands including Leo Burnett, Saatchi & Saatchi, Fallon, and BBH.
Nam’s hiring comes after the departure of two prominent Publiciis Groupe women on this side of the pond, Chaka Sobhani and Annette King. She will report to another female leader, group chief strategy officer Carla Serrano, and replaces Andrew Swinand who is leaving “to pursue other opportunities” after three years in the job.
Korean-American Nam spent 14 years at Droga5 and was considered one of the driving forces of the agency’s rise to prominence. She started her career at George magazine and the New York Times, and did a few years in London – which included being a project manager on urban regeneration projects in the Thames Gateway – before moving back to the US where her first ad job was at Fallon.
Nam said: “I’m looking forward to this next chapter – especially excited to be an advocate for the power and impact that creativity can and should have in this climate. While there is incredible innovation and connectivity that sets rich circumstances for good work, the essential ingredient remains best in class creativity. I hope to help all the agencies and their leadership toward this ambition.”
Serrano’s quote is nicely put: “Susie’s last role focused on finding that bridge between creativity, data, technology and consultancy. Her new position at Publicis allows her to fulfil this vision in practice, and tremendous opportunity lies ahead for our clients, our agency brands and our talent.”
