Jackie Stevenson has been promoted to the newly created position of chief growth officer for Interpublic Group (IPG) EMEA. In her new role, Stevenson will accelerate innovation, creativity, and growth by advancing IPG’s collaborative model, including the further integration of IPG’s creative and communications capabilities with its media, data and technology infrastructure, in order to help drive business results for clients in the region.
This is IPG’s first executive appointment at the holding company level for EMEA under CEO Philippe Krakowsky, illustrating the holding company’s commitment to, and investment in, the region. Working closely with agency leaders across EMEA, Stevenson will focus on sustainable, collaborative growth for IPG companies. IPG currently provides collaborative solutions to major marketers in the region across client sectors, including technology, healthcare, automotive and FMCGs.
Philippe Krakowsky, CEO of Interpublic Group, commented, “IPG has a winning collaborative culture that drives client success in a complex and evolving market. Jackie has a background that spans direct, digital, creative and specialized communications, with deep experience creating business impact for marketers. She’s the ideal person to help us deliver open architecture solutions, where our agencies come together to help brands succeed in a digital world.”
Krakowsky added, “The EMEA region is a key strategic market for our clients, and we are looking forward to expanding our presence in the region as we continue to grow alongside leading global and local marketers.”
Stevenson is based in London and will report to Simon Bond, global chief growth officer, IPG. She steps into the role after serving as CEO of The Brooklyn Brothers, an award-winning global creative agency which she co-founded in 2008. The Brooklyn Brothers was acquired by IPG agency Golin in 2016, with offices in London, New York, and Brazil. Stevenson will take on the role of global chair of The Brooklyn Brothers through 2022.
“We found a brilliant home for our agency in IPG and couldn’t want for a more collaborative and future-facing culture that believes in the power of building great brands,” added Stevenson. “Combine that unique talent and creativity with the precision, accountability and scale of IPG’s data and technology, media, production and entertainment capabilities and I can’t think of a better place to be to help the world’s best brands achieve long-term, sustainable growth. I’m delighted to take on this role at a key time for our clients, our people and agencies across EMEA.”
Prior to co-founding The Brooklyn Brothers, Stevenson held leadership roles at agencies in direct, digital, advertising and earned media. Stevenson began her career at Ogilvy & Mather Direct and went on to help Collett Dickenson & Pearce launch one of London’s first integrated agency models. Stevenson served as managing director at Craik Jones for over a decade, helping it become one of the most awarded direct agencies in the U.K.
Stevenson is an influential leader for gender equality. As 2021 president of Women in Advertising & Communications (WACL), she launched the #FlexibleFirst movement calling for mass adoption of flexible working everywhere, producing practical toolkits, seminars and how-to guides. She also mobilized WACL to lobby the U.K. Government to reinstate gender pay gap reporting. Further, with her partner George Bryant, Stevenson launched the “Brooklyn Night School,” bringing young, diverse talent into the industry through a free training program designed to address the lack of diversity in London’s creative industries. The program has launched the careers of many industry professionals, with 80% of its participants securing careers in areas from advertising to production and social inclusion.
First-Time Feature Directors Make Major Splash At AFI Fest, Generate Oscar Buzz
Two first-time feature directors who are generating Oscar buzz this awards season were front and center this past weekend at AFI Fest in Hollywood. Rachel Morrison, who made history as the first woman nominated for a Best Cinematography Oscar---on the strength of Mudbound in 2018--brought her feature directorial debut, The Fire Inside (Amazon MGM Studios), to the festival on Sunday (10/27), and shared insights into the film during a conversation session immediately following the screening. This came a day after William Goldenberg, an Oscar-winning editor for Argo in 2013, had his initial foray into feature directing, Unstoppable (Amazon MGM Studios), showcased at the AFI proceedings. He too spoke after the screening during a panel discussion. The Fire Inside--which made its world premiere at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival--tells the story of Claressa “T-Rex” Shields (portrayed by Ryan Destiny), a Black boxer from Flint, Mich., who trained to become the first woman in U.S. history to win an Olympic Gold Medal in the sport. She achieved this feat--with the help of coach Jason Crutchfield (Brian Tyree Henry)--only to find that her victory at the Summer Games came with relatively little fanfare and no endorsement deals. So much for the hope that the historic accomplishment would be a ticket out of socioeconomic purgatory for Shields and her family. It seemed like yet another setback in a cycle of adversity throughout Shields’ life but she persevered, going on to win her second Gold Medal at the next Olympics and becoming a champion for gender equality and equitable pay for women in sports. Shields has served as a source of inspiration for woman athletes worldwide--as well as to the community of... Read More