WPP's Grey has lured a New York Times executive to lead its New York office. Amber Guild will assume the CEO title at the agency's flagship office after most recently serving as president of the Times' T Brand portfolio, the newspaper's branded content arm and a prime mover in its global advertising business.

Grey's worldwide CEO, Michael Houston, had also held the New York title for the past two years.

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Guild will work alongside Justine Armour, chief creative officer of Grey New York, to lead the office of 600-plus staff. 

Guild joins Grey New York with two decades of advertising, publishing and digital media industry experience. 

“The only real requisite for leadership is followership and Amber’s equal blend of IQ and EQ is magnetic,” Houston said. “With an agency as large and diverse as ours coupled with a varied portfolio of accounts, creating that pull is essential. I have no doubt our people and our clients will gravitate to her.”

Prior to her Times role, Guild spent years working for creative agencies, including holding leadership positions at  Martin Agency, Collins and T3. She earlier logged time at TBWA/Chiat/Day, Ogilvy and Saatchi & Saatchi. She broke into the industry at age 18, serving as group assistant and secretary for Bozell advertising.

Guild has been an advocate for systemic change and most recently co-led The New York Times’ diversity, equity and inclusion strategy. While speaking on an episode of the “Ad Block” podcast, she discussed her life experiences growing up as the child of political activists.

Her father made it his life calling to “make sure to stand up for what he believed in and be a voice for people who don’t have a voice.”  Guild plans on continuing her advocacy for systemic change in her new role.

“Diversity, equity and inclusion efforts can’t be a side project, it has to be at the center of how the business operates,” she said. “Creating inclusive cultures, ensuring that values are consistent with behaviors, and that the right systems are in place to ensure equity will be at the forefront of my agenda.”

Starting in the role as the world moves to a hybrid model means that “it’s time for empathetic and compassionate leadership to become the new normal” and is exactly what Guild plans to bring to her new CEO title.

While at T Brand at The New York Times, Guild led the branded content studio, experiential agency, influencer marketing agency and consulting unit.

Grey New York brings her on while enjoying a bit of an upswing. Recent wins include MassMutual, Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority and Modelo beer, in addition to new assignments from Procter & Gamble, Nestlé Health Sciences, Johnson & Johnson, Genentech and Pfizer.

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