MullenLowe US CEO Lee Newman set to depart after eight years

MullenLowe U.S. CEO Lee Newman is leaving the agency, the Interpublic Group of Cos. shop confirmed to Ad Age. Newman was appointed to the role in 2015 shortly after Mullen and Lowe merged into one agency. The move comes five months since Martin Agency’s CEO Kristen Cavallo was appointed MullenLowe's global CEO. Newman will remain in his role until May. After he leaves, the shop will be led by Kelly Fredrickson, president of MullenLowe Boston and New York, and Javier Passerieu, managing director of MullenLowe Los Angeles. “For the time being,” Newman's role will not be filled, the agency said. Check out the latest Ad Age events and award programs “Lee helped us add great brands like Corona and KFC to our client roster, and he attracted impressive world-class creative talent to the team,” said Alex Leikikh, executive VP at IPG and chairman at MullenLowe Group, in a statement. “He calmly guided MullenLowe U.S. through the turbulence of the pandemic and helped us make meaningful progress on cultural diversity and the evolution of our modern marketing capabilities.” Newman had succeeded Leikikh as U.S. CEO. MullenLowe won one of the bigger creative reviews of last year when it was named creative agency of record for KFC. The agency also recently picked up business with the United States Golf Association. Look back: KFC hires MullenLowe Before joining the agency, Newman served as president of Ogilvy Chicago. Prior to that, he was managing director of Wieden+Kennedy's Amsterdam office. Check out the latest Ad Age events and award programs “I leave MullenLowe with a great sense of gratitude and pride,” Newman said. “I had the privilege of building a great team, and together, we achieved remarkable successes, built lasting partnerships, created a great culture, and seized every opportunity to make an impact with our work. I know the agency will continue to push boundaries and I’m excited to see what the future holds for this place.” MullenLowe U.S. has three offices in Boston, New York and Los Angeles. It has 386 employees.

MullenLowe US CEO Lee Newman set to depart after eight years

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