Lewis Williams is leaving his role as chief creative officer of multicultural agency Burrell Communications after 15 years to assume a newly created role at PR agency Weber Shandwick—executive VP and head of brand impact. 

Terrence Burrell (who is not related to founder Tom Burrell) will replace Williams as interim chief creative officer. Burrell, who first joined the agency in 2002, previously served as executive creative director on the agency's Comcast account.

“It’s bittersweet saying goodbye to a close colleague and friend,” said Fay Ferguson, co-CEO, Burrell Communications.  "Terrence is that rare leader, always willing to jump in, always prepared when needed, and always committed to seeing our clients and agency win. We’re excited to watch Terrence move our creative team and agency forward.”

In his new role, Williams will be tasked with working in partnership with Weber's client experience, creative and strategy teams to drive "deeper impact and cultural relevance for brands navigating changing consumer expectations and behavior," the agency said. Williams will also be embedded with some of the agency’s largest clients and play a key role in talent development and new business. 

Williams will report to Sung Chang, chief impact officer at the Interpublic Group of Cos.' agency, who says what makes this role unique is that it is “a business-side role designed for a creative mind." Some of Weber's major clients include like AB InBev, General Motors and Mattel.

“Having the opportunity to be the creative lead of a legendary agency like Burrell has been an honor,” Williams said. “But this move came from a desire to continually grow and evolve. The industry has been reshuffled and recreated, which makes this role as exciting as it is challenging. I’m most looking forward to approaching consumer engagement and communication from the earned-first perspective. Because of the social explosion and a more sophisticated consumer, I’m excited to tell stories in a language they embrace.”