Ari Weiss, global chief creative officer at DDB, is leaving the Omnicom Group agency after almost seven years to start a new independent shop that’s expected to launch in January.

Weiss joined DDB as North America CCO at the beginning of 2017, following six years at BBH New York, the final two as CCO. He was promoted to global CCO of DDB in mid-2019.

Weiss helped lead DDB to Network of the Year honors at The One Show and D&AD during his tenure. This year, for the first time in its 74-year history, DDB was named Network of the Year at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.

He took pride in those accomplishments—“I believe [agency founder] Bill Bernbach is smiling down on us today,” Weiss said after the Cannes win. But Weiss said he is eager to explore his entrepreneurial side and be closer to the work on a daily basis again, which can be difficult in a global CCO role.

No replacement for Weiss has been named at DDB.

The news follows last week’s announcement that Rodrigo Jatene, DDB Chicago’s CCO, is leaving for Wieden+Kennedy, where he will serve as CCO for Latin America.

“Lots of emotions today,” Weiss said. “It’s never easy to move on from something you love. I am incredibly proud of what we’ve built at DDB. And even more proud of the people we’ve built it with.”

He added: “I took this job seven years ago to see if I could help scale creativity globally. And along with an incredible team, we did just that. We built a system that empowers local markets to invest in creativity. Not out of vanity but because our best clients and our best offices thrive off creativity. And when they thrive, our global offering thrives.”

“Ari’s creative talent has been globally celebrated and appreciated by our clients and teams across the network,” said Alex Lubar, DDB’s global CEO. “We wish him the very best in his new, entrepreneurial endeavor.”

Weiss plans to open his own independent agency early next year. No other details were available about the as-yet-unnamed venture.

Weiss began his career at Goodby Silverstein & Partners and has also worked at BBDO, Wieden+Kennedy and Cliff Freeman & Partners. His celebrated work includes campaigns for Skittles, Starburst, Twix, Miller Lite, Coors Light, McDonald’s and Volkswagen.

“Since my days as an intern at Goodby Silverstein, I’ve dreamed of starting my own agency,” he said. “Independent agencies have always driven progress in our industry because they are built from the ground up to best address the issues of their times. At this moment, the world has never been more complicated or fragmented. There have also never been more creators creating. For brands to make a difference in the world today, they need to create things people really value. And there is nothing I love more than making things people love.” 

He added: “I love obsessing about a client’s business and relentlessly applying creativity to all parts of their business to unlock its true potential. It’s never been harder to thrive in this industry, but when you get it right, it’s never been more rewarding. I truly believe there hasn’t been a more exciting time to be in this industry.”