Renato Fernandez has been appointed as the chief creative officer for Publicis Creative in the U.S. In this newly created role, Fernandez will oversee and support the creative vision and client impact for the U.S. creative agencies including Leo Burnett, Saatchi and Saatchi, Fallon, Team One, BBH, and the community. Officially starting August 1st, he will report to Publicis Creative US CEO Susie Nam.
Nam said of Fernandez, “He brings with him the right combination of experience and hunger–he is always out to prove something and make something new. Our ambition is to take some big swings led by exceptional leaders and esteemed brands who together believe in the powerful impact creativity can have on business results.”
Fernandez joins Publicis bringing nearly three decades of industry expertise in culture-shifting work for global brands including Gatorade, The Grammys, Levi’s, Volkswagen, Airbnb, Visa, Adidas, and Pepsi. Most recently, Fernandez served as chief creative officer for TBWA\Chiat\Day, where he led the agency for six years reinventing the creative department, seamlessly combining social, design and innovation into all aspects of the work. Passionate about storytelling, he started as a cartoonist in his hometown of Curitiba, Brazil. Fernandez held positions at Exclam and Master, and he was part of the first generation of creatives from that city to receive international recognition. Later moving to São Paulo to work at Almap/BBDO, he helped the agency win back-to-back Agency of the Year titles at The Clio Awards and at The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. His work has been honored at The One Show, Clios, Cannes Lions, London International Awards, and D&AD. In addition, he has served as a jury member at Cannes Lions, The One Show, and The Clios.
“Publicis has a reputation for pushing the industry forward,” said Fernandez. “Seizing the opportunity to set the creative bar to new standards, modernizing the creative output and helping the agencies from the group reach their full potential strategy is an exciting prospect to me and it reflects the organization’s commitment to leading the industry’s evolution.”
Fernandez is the latest high-profile talent to join Publicis Creative US, following Nam’s appointment as CEO last year. In addition, Publicis Creative US recently appointed Gareth Goodall as chief strategy officer and elevated Nicole Souza to the role of chief marketing officer.
