FCB has announced the elevation of its top two global strategic leaders: Nigel Jones and Vita Harris. Nigel moves up from day-to-day operations to take on the chairperson role for FCB, where he will partner with FCB’s global leadership team on special projects.
For Vita, the network is elevating the role and responsibilities of global chief strategy officer, which will now include FCB’s evolving strategic offering for clients across all disciplines, focusing on innovation and continuing the Agency’s ongoing commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I).
Both will report to FCB Worldwide chief executive officer Carter Murray and will partner closely with him, global CCO Susan Credle and FCB’s recently appointed global head of data science and connections, Tina Allan, to lead greater alignment of FCB’s deep strategic capabilities with its robust performance and data offerings, including its rapidly expanding and award-winning creative data agency, FCB/SIX.
With Vita’s leadership, FCB has continued in meaningful ways to build on its proud legacy of commitment to equality and inclusion and deliver strategic excellence across our global offices, which is why the creative product is stronger than it’s ever been.
From the work for Walmart to the City of Chicago’s “Boards of Change,” and Michelob Ultra’s “Courtside,” to our partnership with Google for the Canadian Down Syndrome Society, our inclusive approach throughout the process isn’t something that sits on one side of the company – it is a core part of who we are and how we make work.
Vita has also been instrumental in evolving FCB’s DE&I framework and led the introduction of the network’s Disrupting Thought Patterns workshops, while also helping lead the expansion of cultural competency and workplace inclusion initiatives to all its offices. In 2019, Vita helped develop FCB’s proprietary process to disrupt biases from seeping into the work – across strategy, planning and creative – which has been deployed globally and embraced internally by many of the agency’s clients. Vita will continue leading these initiatives while also expanding FCB’s strategic offering with data-driven performance capabilities enabled by FCB’s ongoing investment in innovation.
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With an impressive career built on a foundation of performance marketing firsts, Vita is the perfect fit to lead FCB’s next strategic chapter. She pioneered the fusion of strategic planning, research and database marketing that created ground breaking approaches to mining consumer insights and fuelled fresh marketing communications programs that delivered big results. In her many leadership roles over the years, Vita has led the strategic vision for transformative strategies and high-ROI campaigns for global brands like American Express, Bank of America, Verizon and, most recently, Walmart.
“We are so fortunate to have a legendary leader like Vita who is not only integral to creating ground breaking campaigns that move the needle for our clients but is also passionate about shaping the advertising industry of tomorrow, and evolving FCB’s journey and commitment to equality and inclusion in all that we do,” said FCB Worldwide chief executive officer Carter Murray.
He adds, “Her impact on our people, our clients and this industry are already profound, and with her continued leadership, we will make even greater contributions in achieving a more engaged and dynamic culture, in uncovering new data-driven insight and in delivering high-quality and culturally competent creative that will fuel new progress in our ongoing dedication to DE&I.”
“I’m gifted the unique opportunity to strategically solve clients’ problems, drive positive transformation and ensure diverse and equal representation in everything we do. I am so hopeful for a more inclusive industry, and FCB continues to innovate how different perspectives and modern analytics can be used to put out valuable, respectful and forward-thinking work,” said Vita.
Committed to giving back to help advance the industry, Vita also serves on the boards of the 4As, ANA Educational Foundation and NYWICI, and on the Ad Council’s Campaign Review Committee, which appraises the direction of campaigns designed to promote social change. Among other accolades, Harris has been recognized as one of Adweek’s 2020 “Women Trailblazers” and 4As’ “100 People Who Make Advertising Great,” honored with an ADCOLOR Legend Award, and received the Missouri Honor Medal from the globally acclaimed Missouri School of Journalism in 2018.
Reel 360 wishes Vita and Nigel the best of luck in their new roles.
