Frances Great has been promoted from managing director to CEO of BBH LA. She will continue to work alongside Pelle Sjoenell, BBH’s worldwide chief creative officer.
In her new post as CEO, Great will focus on growing BBH LA’s core business as well as its entertainment IP. Great joined BBH in 1999 and worked in the London office for two years before relocating to Singapore in 2002. She spent 12 years in the Asia Pacific region and was managing director of the Singapore office from 2010-2015. Great moved to Southern California to become managing director of the L.A. office in 2015.
“Frances and the BBH LA team have successfully established the agency as a leader in integrating the worlds of entertainment and advertising,” said BBH global CEO Neil Munn. “Frances also brings a global viewpoint and experience working with some of the world’s top brands, including Johnnie Walker, Axe, Levi Strauss and Coca-Cola. That perspective is an asset in a time when so many brands are global and digital media is connecting us all instantaneously.”
Great affirmed, “There’s been talk for years of a convergence between Madison Avenue and Hollywood, but now the elements are really in place to make it a reality.”
BBH LA, which Sjoenell launched in 2010, is working with leading brands including Google, YouTube, NBC Universal, Absolut, Unilever, H&M and Depeche Mode. The agency has partnerships with Scooter Braun and The Creative Studio, and collaborates with a range of other creators, talent managers, producers and distribution partners in Hollywood.
“Brands today are forced to look beyond paying their way to attention and that’s a good thing, because done right it pays back,” said Sjoenell. “In dollars yes, but more importantly in appreciation from the audience. Few know this better than Frances, and we are very fortunate to have her lead us and our brand partners to success in this exciting space.”
