TBWA\Chiat\Day New York has hired Chris Beresford-Hill as chief creative officer. Beresford-Hill, who joins from sister Omincom agency BBDO New York, will assume creative leadership effective October 2 across TBWA\Chiat\Day NY’s full roster of clients--which includes Accenture, adidas, eos, McDonald’s, Michelin, Nissan, PepsiCo, TD Bank, Thomson Reuters, Tic-Tac and Travelers Insurance--and will be responsible for leading and cultivating the shop’s creative department. The appointment follows Chris Garbutt’s promotion to chief creative officer of TBWA Worldwide in May.
Beresford-Hill will report to Garbutt, and partner with TBWA\Chiat\Day New York CEO Rob Schwartz. Alongside his agency duties, Beresford-Hill will also join TBWA’s Global Creative Core, a select group of top creative leaders from across the TBWA collective chosen to help execute against the company’s vision to make disruptive work that connects with culture.
As TBWA continues its push to make iconic work across the company’s global brands, Erik Vervroegen, who joined the agency last year as ECD and global head of art, will take on expanded global responsibility, driving creative excellence and elevating the level of craft for clients.
“Chris has the energy and talent to ignite a creative renaissance in New York,” said Garbutt. “He’s prolific, charismatic, he’s got New York swagger and he’s ready to excel. His work has consistently become part of culture and makes a tangible impact on his clients’ businesses.”
David Lubars, chief creative officer of BBDO Worldwide and chairman, BBDO North America, added, “BBDO New York is a proving ground for talent that can take on really big jobs. This is a great opportunity for Chris as well as a chance to leverage his talent within the Omnicom network.”
As EVP, executive creative director at BBDO New York, Beresford-Hill has led creative for several of the agency’s marquee clients alongside partner Dan Lucey, including Foot Locker, Guinness, Priceline.com and HBO. Beresford-Hill is perhaps best known for his award-winning campaigns for Foot Locker featuring boxing champions Evander Holyfield and Mike Tyson, as well as Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather, the latter of which is said to have sparked the conversations that led to the Fight of the Century. Notably, Beresford-Hill also created the “Wheelchair Basketball” film for Guinness that was named one of TED’s Ten Ads Worth Spreading, and received the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation’s Visionary Leadership award.
Prior to BBDO, Beresford-Hill held creative director and writer posts at Saatchi & Saatchi New York, Goodby, Silverstein and Partners in San Francisco, and Modernista!, in Boston.
“I have always loved TBWA\Chiat\Day New York, and have admired the members of this leadership team even before they fully assembled,” said Beresford-Hill. “Every conversation I have had in the process has reinforced my belief that amazing things are about to happen.”