The Omnicom Group agency DDB New York announced recently that three big new senior hires have been made: A trio of creative veterans who will be focusing on the agency's content and innovation, and whose appointment marks an ongoing overhaul of the agency under the new leadership team of CEO Chris Brown and chief creative officer Icaro Doria, who steps up to the plate in March. The announcement, which came late last week, lists Hannah Fishman as group creative director and content director, Yael Cesarkas as planning director and Joel Nagy as director of digital innovation.
Incoming DDB NY chief creative officer Icaro Doria
Fishman has worked in creative leadership for 12 years now, with her most recent role being a seven year stint as vice president and creative director at Edelman leading digital creative on brands like Samsung, Dove, AXE, American Heart Association and Pfizer. Prior to this, she worked as senior design and creative lead at Everyday Health, and has also been a design consultant for ePrize and interactive group designer at the Borders Group. She said is “Excited to join DDB’s team in New York,” and looks forward to “Helping create memorable ideas that break new ground (both creatively and technologically) for the agency’s impressive roster of clients.”
Hannah Fishman, Yael Cesarkas and Joel Nagy are joining DDB New York
Cesarkas, who previously served as an associate planning director at R/GA, will be working closely with DDB New York’s ExxonMobil team to enhance strategic capabilities across North America. At R/GA she led teams on programs for clients such as L’Oreal, Tiffany, MasterCard and Ameriprise, and before her stint at R/GA, she served as a senior brand planner at Y&R, where she worked with Office Depot, Campbell’s, Pfizer, Bayer and Xerox, amongst others. Her work has been recognised by The Webby Awards and Cannes Lions, and she has also been also the recipient of WPP’s award for strategic excellence and leadership.
DDB NY CEO Chris Brown
Nagy, meanwhile, will be bringing more than 15 years of development experience on web-based platforms to DDB, and will be responsible for the development of digital solutions for the agency’s vast and diverse range of clients. Prior to joining DDB he worked as technical director at Iris Worldwide in New York, where he built apps for clients such as Sony, Barclaycard and Microsoft. Prior to Iris, he was director of digital technology at KBS+P. His list of accomplishments includes awards received by the Webby Awards, The Web Marketing Association, Facebook Studio Awards and Digiday.
DDB NY is “Committed to integrating world-class talent from different disciplines”
Brown, who joined DDB NY as CEO last summer after serving the same role at DDB Australia, said he is “Really excited about Hannah, Yael and Joel” joining the team, and believes they are joining at “An exciting time at DDB New York.” He said the agency's mission is to “Blaze new trails,” and that a “Key part of that is bringing new and diverse skill sets into the agency,” skill sets he is confident his trio of new hires possess in spades. He adds that DDB NY are “Committed to integrating world-class talent from different disciplines with the common goal of delivering outstanding creative outcomes for clients.”
