Both Adweek and Ad Age are reporting that DDB North American CCO Britt Nolan is rejoining Leo Burnett Chicago as president and CCO, almost exactly two years to the day he left.
According to the reports, Nolan will oversee the creative output and manage the Chicago office while supporting the global Leo Burnett network. He will report to Andrew Swinand, CEO of Leo Burnett Group and Publicis Groupe Creative U.S.
“It was ultimately my ambition to run a creative agency,” Nolan told Adweek. “Not just be a creative director.”
In a statement to the outlet, Swinand said, “We can’t wait to welcome Britt back to Leo Burnett Chicago, where he forged a legacy of award-winning creative and inspired leadership over a decade. Britt is a values-based leader who is a champion of both the people and the work. I look forward to many more years of partnership and great work together.”
Nolan initially left the Publicis Groupe-owned shop in 2019 to join the DDB as its North American creative lead. He had spent just under 10 years at Leo Burnett where he was most recently co-President and Chief Creative Officer of the Chicago office.
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While there, Nolan oversaw work that won more than 50 Cannes Lion awards and many more across international shows, including the Effies, the One Show and the Clios.
Nolan is perhaps best known most recently for his award-winning campaigns like “Legal-ade” for Kraft, which established protections and a legal defense fund for children running lemonade stands in the U.S.; “Ostrich” for Samsung, as part of the brand’s #DoWhatYouCant campaign highlighting the VR technology of the Samsung S8 and S8+; and “Van Gogh Bnb” for the Art Institute of Chicago, which allowed visitors to spend a night in an interactive replica of the artist’s 1888 painting Bedroom at Arles via Airbnb, and which later went on to win the Creative Effectiveness Grand Prix at Cannes in 2017.
Chaka Sobhani, global chief creative officer for Leo Burnett, said in a statement: “He’s a creative tour de force, as we all know—a true Burnetter through and through, and most importantly, an absolutely top human being to boot. Nothing can stop us with Britt at the helm of Leo Burnett Chicago, where boundless talent emanates to every corner of our global network. I can’t wait to work with him closely and see where this next exciting chapter takes us all. Happy days indeed as we welcome him back with open arms.”Allstate “Mayhem: Apple”
Nolan starts his new role in two months.
