Chris Brown has been named president and CEO of DDB New York. He will transition into his new role in September. Brown currently serves as CEO of DDB Group Australia.
Additionally, a new group structure in New York has been created and will encompass: DDB New York, Uproar@DDB, DDB Remedy, Tribal Worldwide New York, Roberts & Langer DDB and Spike DDB. Peter Hempel, current CEO of DDB New York, will assume the new position of chairman and CEO, DDB Group New York, overseeing the entire group to ensure the agencies are collaborating and exploring joint opportunities.
Brown will report jointly to Hempel and Mark O’Brien, president of DDB North America. Hempel will continue to report to O’Brien.
Brown brings to his new position 17 years of experience with DDB Worldwide, both in the UK and Australia. He was promoted to CEO of DDB Group Australia in 2012, after serving as group managing director of DDB Sydney from 2007 to 2012.
Brown created a nationally integrated offering centered around creativity, data and technology, effectively merging DDB Sydney and DDB Melbourne to form DDB Group Australia. The Group went on to win accolades from the IAB, including: Agency of the Year, PR Agency of the Year, Experiential Agency of the Year, Ad of the Year, Campaign of the Year and Best in Show. In 2012 the agency won the prestigious Spikes Agency of the Year honor for Asia Pacific.
Brown has worked with a range of leading brands in his career, including Sony, Telstra, Tourism Australia, Unilever, J&J and Volkswagen. He was promoted to the board of management and managing partner of DDB Sydney at the age of 30, and group managing director of DDB Sydney at the age of 33, with overall responsibility for DDB, RAPP, Mango, DDB Remedy and Tribal Worldwide. Brown has produced award-winning campaigns that have been recognized at the top shows around the world such as the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity, One Show, D&AD, IPA and AFA Effectiveness awards. Brown currently sits on the National Communications Council Board in Australia and is one of the participants in the “Male Champions of Change” initiative, committed to promoting gender equality within the industry.
