Chris Garbutt is leaving his role as chief creative officer at Ogilvy & Mather New York to join TBWA Worldwide as global creative president.
Aside from serving as global creative president where he will be tasked with overseeing creative direction for the agency’s global accounts including McDonald’s and Adidas, he will also lead TBWA’s New York office as its chief creative officer.
His appointment comes on the heels of other executive creative hires at the agency. TBWA hired Nils Andersson to oversee creative in Greater China earlier this year, while last year it named Gary McCreadie and Wesley Hawes as executive creative directors for its Sydney office.
Chris Garbutt began his career at TBWA\Hunt\Lascaris in South Africa before joining TBWA\Paris, where he served as executive creative director and produced work for brands including Absolut and Pedigree.
Of his appointment, Garbutt said: “TBWA is an iconic brand, and the best work they do always sets the bar for others to follow. Today, brands need disruptive, world changing and transformative ideas more than ever. I believe with the talent and commitment of the teams across the global network, we can truly achieve greatness for our clients.”
He will report to TBWA Worldwide CEO Troy Ruhanen and worldwide creative director John Hunt. He will also work closely with newly-appointed New York CEO Rob Schwartz.
