The most impactful agency executives are a force of nature, powering their employees and organizations to new heights while being an indispensable font of ideas for their clients.
From prioritizing office culture to scoring big wins for clients, these C-suite stars are setting the standard for effective leadership and paving the way for the next generation.
They are the Agencies Vanguard.
Our inaugural list features the standout leaders, advocates, and growth drivers in an industry landscape that demands bold action every day.
Nadja Bellan-White
M+C Saatchi North America feels like a 30-year-old startup under the leadership of Nadja Bellan-White. Since December 2024, she has fused silos into one integrated regional model, adding senior leaders across strategy, creative, growth, health, sport, and consulting. Wins include the first Super Bowl ad for Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy in a competitive pitch; expanding JPMorganChase’s remit with the globally scalable “Make Momentum Happen” platform; and Visit Iceland’s $17,000 activation that delivered 19.6 million views and 180 million impressions. The agency posted double-digit YoY revenue growth, 70% client retention, and a 50% boost in production revenue in a contraction year.
Jared Belsky
After being on the brink of closure, Acadia got an infusion of new life from Jared Belsky and went on to have its best year yet in 2025, turning a $7 million loss into a $7 million gain in 12 months. To make it happen, Belsky refused layoffs, brought in 45 new mid-market clients (winning 80% of pitches), and took up arms against principal media buying. He went all in on retail media with the acquisition of Crush, an Amazon accelerator, building end-to-end expertise across dominant and rising retail channels that grew the agency’s retail practice by 50% in both revenue and profit.
Next leader: At the helm of Acadia’s fast-growing retail media business is Julie Spear. A former Montessori teacher who came to retail media 10 years ago, she has grown her unit to 100 people and led such AOR wins as Monster Energy, Beachbody on Demand (BODi), and Trubar. She also hosts the award-winning Ecommerce Braintrust weekly podcast.
Anibal Casso
Boosting a legacy brand is no small feat. Under the guidance of Anibal Casso, The Coca-Cola Company achieved double-digit growth, becoming Ogilvy’s largest client in North America. Casso’s ability to see opportunities that don’t exist and architect them into reality sets him apart, with cultural fusions such as Coca-Cola x Star Wars and San Pellegrino x The Sopranos delivering significant market share gains. Casso brought in over $10 million in revenue, with the NA office hitting 80% organic growth in 2025 from the likes of Premier Protein, MLS, Bloomberg, Walmart, and FIFA, and created Ogilvy’s Intercultural practice, an intersectional approach to audience building that has been hailed with Grand Prix wins across the industry.
Next leader: Casso’s Next Leader is Rachel Pool, chosen because of their shared leadership style: People first. Bridges, not empires. Results that matter. As head of strategy for Ogilvy’s largest office, Pool leads a team of over 40 integrated strategists across 15 global and national brands. But her door is just as open to mentorship and real, actionable feedback, leading the office to be named North America’s #1 Most Effective Agency at the Effies in 2025.
Marie Julie Gerbauld
Since joining David São Paulo in 2023, Marie Julie Gerbauld has helped land major AOR wins including Unilever, Kraft Heinz, and General Mills, while driving standout work for Mondelēz and Burger King. In 2025 alone, the agency earned 10 Effies plus honors from Cannes Lions, D&AD, and more. She’s also shaping culture, with a creative team that’s 50% women, rare in Brazil’s ad industry. The only female CCO among the country’s 20 largest agencies, and one who prioritizes the careers of up-and-coming creatives through personalized guidance, Gerbauld is building a more inclusive, high-performing future for creativity.
Next leader: Gerbauld’s closest professional partner is João Gandara. Having previously worked together at AKQA, she invited him to join as executive creative director at David, where Gandara had already worked earlier in his career. As a creative he is vibrant and proactive, bringing together talent, energy, and a strong leadership mindset.
Jessica Henrichs
When 25% of revenue disappeared in 90 days—through no fault of the agency—Colle McVoy CEO Jessica Henrichs turned on the afterburners. Though she’d only started in the chief executive role on Jan. 1, 2025, Henrichs rebuilt momentum through relationship-led growth, turning a near-miss into a major win with Dairy Queen and adding Vitamix, Haribo, Revlon, and Instant Pot to her agencies’ client rosters. Existing business surged too, with 3M up nearly 50% and Frank’s Red Hot scoring $7.1 million in sales following a Super Bowl campaign. By year’s end, the agency posted 30% growth. Henrichs’ remarkable first year embodies the resilient spirit of Colle McVoy, which was founded during the Great Depression.
Katy Hornaday
Guiding an independent agency through a merger, market volatility, and rapid tech shifts isn’t easy—especially for a new CEO. Since stepping into BarkleyOKRP’s top role in 2025, Katy Hornaday has driven a 70% new-business win rate and landed more than a dozen AOR wins, not to mention impactful work for Inspire Medical Systems, Red Lobster, and Slice Soda. She helped stabilize revenue while building MissionOne Media and launching the M1 Refinery proprietary intelligence platform to better connect data, media, and creative. Just as critical: a cultural reset, from fully covered mental health benefits to flexible work programs and making family part of the office conversation by modeling professional motherhood.
Next leader: Hornaday hand-picked Brad Jones as BarkleyOKPR’s chief creative officer because he knows how to protect unruly creativity without letting it become unfocused or precious. He’s pushed teams to make work that’s culturally sharp and operationally sound, with a clear point of view shaped by modern, social-first storytelling.
Abbey Klaassen
When creativity and technology must work as one, clients turn to Dentsu Creative. Under Abbey Klaassen’s leadership, the agency closed 2025 with strong organic growth and major wins including the NFL, alongside expanded work with Adobe and Microsoft. Her push to align creative and media unlocked new integrated business, while Adobe GenStudio dentsu+ is already reshaping personalized content production for global clients. The work delivered culturally and commercially, earning 21 Cannes Lions, Totino’s Pizza Rolls’ first Super Bowl ad, and Oreo’s highly successful collaboration with Post Malone. Klaassen’s approach proves that modern growth comes from connecting systems and storytelling.
Next leader: Klaassen’s right hand is Phil Gaughran, president of global creative product, growth, and strategy. With 23 years of strategic experience, Gaughran is driving dentsu’s transformation, helping define the next era of creative leadership. He led the integration of 11 agency brands into a single, future‑ready offering and helped define Dentsu Creative’s global identity by centering transformation.
Sarah Kramer
Leading through industry consolidation and economic pressure, Sarah Kramer delivered standout results at Spark Foundry. In 2025, the agency posted its fifth straight year of double-digit growth and fourth consecutive year topping $1 billion in new billings, with 71% driven organically. Spark also retained 100% of its top 55 clients while expanding partnerships with brands like LinkedIn, Macy’s, and Kimberly-Clark. Kramer helped secure the $1.3 billion Kenvue global review and pushed an audience-first, influencer-centric, AI-enabled model that’s translating into real business impact. She’s also shaping the direction of the broader industry as an Ad Council and Lighthouse Guild board member.
Next leader: Chief operating officer Erica Rosengart is the right-hand woman helping Kramer deliver on her plan across the organization. She serves as a sounding board, an intelligent and critical thinker who not only knows the ins and outs of the agency, but can bring valuable insights to clients as well.
Pedro Lerma
Strategy at lerma/ is guided by a clear point of view: Culture drives results, and pursuing a perceived “general market” is no longer the way to growth. Over the past year, CEO Pedro Lerma has built out leadership across data, strategy, and creative, while always keeping human insight at the center. The payoff shows in the work, from a Super Bowl campaign for He Gets Us ranked No. 5 in HarrisX’s sentiment poll to expanded responsibilities with The Home Depot. By investing in technological capabilities and standing firm on inclusive-first marketing, Lerma is meeting the accelerating demands of modern advertising.
Next leader: Lerma feels grateful to work with chief growth officer Taylor Smiley. “He brings an energy, an enthusiasm, an optimism that fuels our culture and pushes us forward,” the CEO said. “And maybe most importantly, he cares deeply. He cares about our people, our clients, the work, and making sure the agency is a place where everyone thrives.”
Karl Lieberman
“Creativity is very much unleashed now,” Karl Lieberman told the Fearless Creative Leadership podcast to sum up the state of advertising. As chief creative officer, he’s made Wieden+Kennedy a noisy place, full of people deeply steeped in culture from sports to celebrities and viral TikTok dances who are ready to go to mat for their opinions. That’s down to Lieberman valuing marrow-deep cultural fluency that’s easy to apply to client briefs in ways that feel unexpected, yet authentic. Consequently, the agency’s 2025 work has been a hit parade: the defiant “So Win” for Nike, Ford’s first new global brand platform in 15 years, an expanded global remit with Eli Lilly, and a new office in Sydney to handle the McDonald’s Australia account.
Kerry McKibbin
At Mischief @ No Fixed Address, strong operations are fueling standout creativity. Kerry McKibbin helped drive 22% year-over-year revenue growth in 2025, with 16 new business wins, all without a pitch. Client retention hit over 90%, while staff retention reached 88%, rare stability in a volatile market. The work kept pace, from Verizon’s “Better Deal” to Goldfish campaigns and a Winter Olympics outing for Peroni, generating nearly 30 billion earned impressions. For McKibbin, disciplined business management isn’t separate from the work—it’s what enables smarter risks, stronger partnerships, and creative that delivers.
Next leader: Partner and head of development Oliver McAteer combines new business and PR into one storytelling powerhouse. His innovative approach to Mischief’s growth focuses on creating a clear and strong brand voice that has resonated: Over 300 new business leads came to Mischief in the past year.
Luis Miguel Messianu
Just two years in, MEL (Messianu/Edelman/Lerma) has shifted into high gear. Under CCO Luis Miguel Messianu, the agency kicked off 2026 with a 250% revenue jump, fueled by partnerships with P&G, Rémy Martin, and Aaron’s, plus new AOR wins for BrandsMart and Gran Centenario Tequila after a competitive pitch. Among the agency’s founding principles is creating emotionally resonant work, which shows in work such as the Ad Council PSA “Lost in a Flash” that reached Hispanic audiences with a Spanglish message about buzzed driving. A longtime champion of culture-led creativity, Mexico City-born Messianu is also an advocate for representation within the Hispanic Marketing Council and the 4As.
Next leader: Executive creative director Danny Alvarez is an award-winning leader who’s “a true creative’s creative,” with an unmatched dedication for the art of storytelling. At MEL, Alvarez leads the creative charge for many of the agency’s largest accounts.
Luis Montero
Publicis agency the community has gone from creative powerhouse to growth partner with guidance from Luis Montero, who drove a 21% year-over-year revenue boost while maintaining 100% client retention. He’s all in on multicultural audiences, which is the majority of Americans under 40 (aka the New Mainstream), and has built a team that is 85% diverse, reorienting the entire business model on insights based on this demographic. By turning the agency’s Cultural Intelligence Hub into a revenue-driving consultancy, he expanded partnerships with Verizon, P&G, and Walmart, while adding brands like Suntory and Total Wireless. For the agency’s 25th anniversary in 2025, Montero created a program of high-touch, bespoke incentives for employees to reinforce the community’s culture of empathy.
Next leader: Overseeing the agency’s growth in Miami is managing director Rich Garcia, a strategic thinker who leads with a rare blend of business smarts, empathy, and kindness. Rich’s deep understanding of the New Mainstream allows him to think outside the box to solve complex client problems, ensuring that the work remains both culturally ambitious and ruthlessly effective.
Ndidi Oteh
Since stepping into the CEO role in late 2025, Ndidi Oteh has guided Accenture Song to roughly $20 billion in revenue, up 8% year-over-year, fueled by demand for AI-powered marketing and commerce. Her push into emerging capabilities such as the genAI customer assistant TOBi built with Vodafone and acquisitions like Superdigital have expanded cultural and performance expertise. The agency is also building the next big thing in beauty with Noli, an AI-powered marketplace with L’Oréal Groupe. Alongside the advances, creativity remained at the front, shown in honors including a Creative Arts Emmy, 24 iF Design Awards, and Red Dot’s 2025 Agency of the Year accolade.
Nancy Reyes
Big swings—and even bigger results—have defined the past year at BBDO. With “Do Big Things” as the network’s global platform, Nancy Reyes is thinking long term. Omnicom’s acquisition of IPG significantly expanded BBDO’s capabilities and market reach, bringing on marquee clients such as Skoda, Anheuser-Busch InBev, Kellanova and Spotify, alongside global wins including Yahoo, Sallie Mae, Bailey’s, and BetMGM. In Brazil, Almap BBDO grew 27% last year, underscoring global traction. Notable work included “Food Deserves Pepsi,” which drove 14,000 restaurant switches and 740 million additional can sales, and Pedigree’s Titanium Lion-earning “Caramelo.” The agency could also brag about having the most ads in Super Bowl 59.
Erica Roberts
After over 20 years with Publicis Groupe, in 2025 Erica Roberts led BBH USA into its most successful creative and commercial chapter yet, with 75% year-over-year growth and 27 campaigns launched. Her RFI conversion rate is 100%, with a 78% pitch win rate that brought on new accounts including Arby’s, Bacardi, Keurig Dr Pepper, and Kenvue, plus AOR relationships for Edgewell Personal Care and Goodyear, which underwent its biggest brand transformation in 127 years. Clients saw big gains too, with PayPal posting a 408% lift in brand affinity, while Hawaiian Tropic grew 19% with Gen Z. Across the J.M. Smucker portfolio, the share of growing brands jumped from 22% to 68%.
Next leader: Creative partners and ECDs Yohan Daver and Sapna Ahluwalia are Roberts’ most trusted creative collaborators. They bring a rare global perspective shaped by leadership roles across India, Singapore, Los Angeles, and New York, and were responsible for bringing in Mattel. They’re shaping BBH USA’s creative direction, while mentoring the next generation to follow in their footsteps.
Lisette Sand-Freedman
When brands want a cultural moment, not just a campaign, they tap Lisette Sand-Freedman. At Shadow, she’s blending entertainment, talent, and strategy into buzzy campaigns for clients such as Google Shopping, reuniting Gabrielle Union and Kirsten Dunst to turn a product demo into must-watch content. She’s also embedded Dove into Charli XCX’s Brat Tour and refreshed Estée Lauder with cheeky campaigns led by Kristen Bell and Meghann Fahy. After dropping the “PR” label, Shadow saw 11% YoY growth, expanded scopes, and new clients—amika, Exuviance, Supergoop, Pop Mart—proving that Sand-Freedman’s integrated model is working.
Next leader: For the past 15 years, Shadow EVP and partner Erica Larsen has been Sand-Freedman’s most critical collaborator, and the leader she consistently relies on in business-shaping decisions. Larsen helped build Shadow’s Fashion and Retail Division, which has grown to represent Marc Jacobs, Aerie, and Beyond Yoga. She also leads client services for Android, GooglePay, and Google Shopping, serving as “the calm in the creative storm.”
Nicholas Spiro
By anchoring Viral Nation’s corporate strategy in three key pillars—growth, insight, and operational rigor—Nicholas Spiro drove massive growth in revenue (56%) and profit (70%) in 2025. As the talent behind the process and relationships of pitching, Spiro also landed marquee clients like The Cheesecake Factory, Zynga, and OpenTable. His social strategy for the HBO Max hit series Heated Rivalry helped push #HeatedRivalry past 9 billion TikTok views and coincided with a 15% lift in female NHL attendance, while his work on Zillow’s “Chief Demure Officer” campaign won multiple Shorty Awards. With degrees in psychology and business, Spiro is a major player in shaping the next phase of the creator economy.
Next leader: As executive vice president of go-to-market and corporate marketing, Alice de Vries is the brains and brawn behind how Viral Nation shows up in the world. Under her guidance, Viral Nation has strengthened its market positioning, expanded into new markets, and achieved the most successful year of new business development in the company’s history.
Jacques Spitzer
Not every indie agency gets a seat at the table with Procter & Gamble, let alone helps launch its biggest new brand. Under Jacques Spitzer, Raindrop has grown into a $15 million business with 80 employees and over 90% retention. In 2025, the shop expanded its creative studio to 18,000 square feet and delivered three Super Bowl ads, including the introduction of Spruce, P&G’s move into outdoor products. Campaigns for Native and Omnipod aired during the 2025 World Series, while Raindrop helped scale brands, pushing Grüns to a $500 million valuation. With the sensibility of a former journalist, Spitzer’s consumer-first approach to brand building produces long-term affinity.
Next leader: Raindrop co-founder and COO Adam Wagner has been building the agency with Spitzer since the beginning, bravely bucking traditional models to cultivate a rewarding culture that forms the foundation of their business. The name Raindrop is itself inspired by a related quote: “True friendship looks like raindrops coming together on a windowsill beautifully and effortlessly before your eyes.”
Karina Wilsher
Growth is hard to come by right now, which makes Karina Wilsher’s run at Anomaly stand out. She’s driven double-digit revenue gains, fueled by wins with iconic brands like Target, Visa, Budweiser, Blizzard, and Starbucks. Her team’s work helped the coffee chain return to growth, with net sales up 5% to $9.6 billion after seven flat quarters. Inside the agency, inclusive policies mean 50% of global leadership is female and 33% BIPOC. With the promotion of Chris Neff to chief AI officer, Wilsher has prioritized AI initiatives such as a bespoke educational platform, synthetic personas for audience insights, and a social portal that emulates TikTok.
Click for more from this issue
