McCann Worldgroup has recruited Leo Burnett’s Britt Nolan to take the newly created position of North America chief creative officer.

Nolan starts at the Interpublic Group of Cos. agency network in January. He will lead creative across the four McCann Worldgroup agencies in North America: McCann, MRM, FutureBrand and Craft. Nolan will relocate from Chicago to New York and travel frequently to markets including Detroit and Toronto.

He will report to Javier Campopiano, global chief creative officer of both McCann Worldgroup and the McCann agency, and also work closely with Stephanie Nerlich, president of McCann Worldgroup Americas and global president of McCann. (Nolan’s new position is distinct from the North America CCO role at the McCann agency; Sean Bryan continues in the latter role.)

Nolan was previously president and chief creative officer of Publicis Groupe’s Leo Burnett Chicago. A Leo Burnett spokesperson said Renato Fernandez, named CCO of Publicis Creative US this summer, will add the role of Leo Burnett Chicago CCO.

Widely seen as a top-tier creative thinker with a strong business sense, Nolan will be charged with fostering collaboration across the McCann Worldgroup agencies in disciplines such as strategy, design, commerce, branding and production.

Nolan’s best-known work includes “Mayhem” for Allstate, “Ostrich” for Samsung and “Van Gogh BNB” for the Art Institute of Chicago. 

“Britt is without a doubt a leader and a point of reference for excellence in our industry,” said Campopiano. “He has led some of North America’s very best work in recent years with incredible range—creating eye-catching, smart, authentic and funny ways of connecting brands with people.”

Campopiano said he and Nolan “share a common belief that brand-building is right now more important than it ever was, and the only way to do it is through radical creativity based on human truths.”

“McCann Worldgroup’s creative vision—focused on craft, predicated on truth, reaching beyond the bounds of traditional advertising to build brands—speaks to both my right and left brain,” Nolan said. “I’ve long admired this network for its ability to create campaigns and platforms that build enduring brands. I couldn’t be more excited to be a part of this storied legacy and play a part in shaping its future.”

Nolan joined Burnett in 2009 as a copywriter, left in 2019 to become DDB’s North America CCO, then returned to Burnett in 2021.

Since joining McCann Worldgroup a year ago, Campopiano has made key creative hires across the network, including Jordan Doucette as chief creative officer of McCann Worldgroup Canada; Lynsey Atkin as chief creative officer of McCann London; and Shannon Washington as global chief creative officer of Gotham. 

He has also promoted top talent internally, including Adrian Botan to global creative partner, creative excellence; Ioana Filip to global executive creative director for the Reckitt business; and Shayne Millington to chief creative officer of McCann New York.