Category: In the News

What a time to be a holding company CEO. You’re either the charmer who lands big clients then waltzes off to the next pitch to sprinkle your fairy dust (Arthur Sadoun), or you’re the wily old veteran who’s climbed to No. 1 by knowing when to buy — or not buy — a competitor (John Wren). 

But what about the CEO who’s actually trying to be honest and transparent by acknowledging the internal challenges to transformational change — and then has that transparency used against her in a court of law? Cindy Rose, WPP’s CEO who’s about to hit her one-year anniversary running the OG of holdcos, finds herself in that role, whether she likes it or not. 

This is a member-exclusive article from Digiday. Continue reading it on digiday.com and subscribe to continue reading content like this.

,Read More

It wasn’t that long ago that a brand announcing a creator had taken up an internal role would’ve triggered an eye roll. Gemma Collins called herself creative director at Canva. Dhar Mann as the NFL’s chief kindness officer. Olivia Nell became “out of office” director at ASOS. Those examples were all recent, but something is shifting rapidly in the space.

But as CMOs and now CEOs start taking creators seriously and the creator budget expands, that’s shifting, along with creators’ ability to join the C-Suite in more meaningful ways.

In the spring, creator and comedian Jack Shane was made chief creative officer of German candy company Katjes, to help grow it in the U.S. Similarly, soft drink brand Cool Sips named reality TV star and creator Whitney Leavitt as its chief creative and brand officer. Cherub, an investment platform connecting creators with startups, named entrepreneur Nadya Okamoto as its chief creator officer earlier this summer, to help source deals.

Continue reading this article on digiday.com. Sign up for Digiday newsletters to get the latest on media, marketing and the future of TV.

,Read More