Former WPP exec Angela Johnson is leaving the Windy City for the Big Apple.
McGarryBowen U.S. President Simon Pearce announced that Johnson has been named President of the agency’s New York office, and introduced her to the NYC staff in a meeting Friday afternoon.
“Angela has a rich background in bringing impressive, record-breaking results for her clients,” he says. “She is a dynamic and talented leader.”
The new president joins the Dentsu-owned agency after spending 12 years in the WPP network, where she served in senior leadership roles beginning with Ogilvy London as Worldwide Managing Director on BP Fuels, WWF, Pernod Ricard, and Motorola.
She then moved to Ogilvy Chicago as Worldwide Managing Director for global giant, Kimberly-Clark.
According to a statement from mcgarrybowen, Kimberly-Clark grew “tenfold” under Johnson’s supervision.
Her most recent role was at the holding company level with WPP as Team Director, where she led cross agency initiatives with JWT, Ogilvy, Landor, Burson Marsteller, Mindshare, and Geometry.
Her efforts helped WPP and Ogilvy win many creative and effectiveness awards over the years, including, Adweek’s Agency of the Year, the Effie Awards’ “Most Effective Agency Network,” and Cannes Lions’ “Most Creative Parent Company.”
“After being named Ad Age’s Comeback Agency of the Year in 2017, you can sense a huge momentum in the halls at mcgarrybowen,” Johnson told Reel Chicago. “This felt like the ideal time to join the agency and help translate all that energy into great work.”
Johnson also serves on the Board of the Chicago Advertising Federation, where she created an agenda focused on diversity and inclusion. Within WPP, she sponsored the Black Diaspora affinity group and was President of the WPP Women’s Leadership Professional Network.
“The industry is changing more rapidly than ever before,” she says. “We now need to focus on an inclusive talent mix and solutions to meet the challenge of integrating data and tech. I plan to build an agency to ensure that these challenges are met head-on.“
A huge hockey fan, there is no word if Johnson will trade her love for The Blackhawks for The Rangers when she begins in January 2018. One thing is for sure, as a Brit she will always have unmatched love for her Manchester United.