Pahnke Chicago announced the appointment of Kate Black to President and Partner.
Black will lead the independent creative agency’s growing roster of client business and apply her unique expertise to a concentrated new business push.
She will collaborate with Susan Betteridge, Chief Creative Officer and Partner, to provide strategic and creative expertise for brands across CPG, travel and more.
Pahnke Chicago opened in early 2020 as the first US-managed and owned outpost of the Pahnke Group based in Hamburg, Germany. Its client roster includes Storck USA (Werther’s Original, Mamba, merci, Riesen, Knoppers), P/S (Private Salon luxury travel lounge in LAX and ATL), PlantPlus Foods and The City of Chicago. Pahnke Chicago recently launched a campaign for Werther’s Chocolate Covered Caramel and a campaign for Mamba that drove a 39% sales lift.
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“Pahnke is one of the largest independent agencies in Germany, known for helping create market-changing brands in partnership with their clients,” said Black. “I’m looking forward to working alongside Susan and this talented group to bring that legacy of agility, creativity and innovation to the US and sharing brand stories that deserve to be told.”
Black joins Pahnke from advisory firm MediaLink where she was Vice President, Brand & Creative Transformation for the past four years, working with marketers to realize their creative aspirations and navigate the unprecedented challenges of today’s marketing landscape. Prior to joining MediaLink, Black helped build a successful startup content agency at The Onion, leading day-to-day operations on all active client business. She also spent close to a decade at mcgarrybowen, managing Disney Destination’s domestic and international accounts.
“Kate brings a unique range of experience to Pahnke Chicago that will help foster and grow our agency and drive business for our client partners,” said Susan Betteridge, Chief Creative Officer and Partner at Pahnke Chicago. “Plus, she’s wicked smart, nice and funny—clients and her teams love her, and she has the expertise needed to catapult Pahnke Chicago into huge growth here in the US.”
In the coming months Pahnke Chicago will launch new campaigns for Werther’s timed to the upcoming Fall and holiday seasons.
