Aussie expat Jo Shoesmith promoted to chief creative officer role at Campbell Ewald in the US

Aussie expat Jo Shoesmith, who started her career at Clemenger BBDO, Melbourne in the 90s followed by six years with Leo Burnett Melbourne and nine years at Leo Burnett Chicago, has been named chief creative officer of US based Campbell Ewald, part of the Interpublic Group.

Shoesmith will continue to be based in Los Angeles. The first female chief creative officer in Campbell Ewald’s 105-year history, Shoesmith is also the first CCO to be located outside of the Detroit office.

Says Shoesmith: “Ideas are our product. And it’s increasingly important to not just create stories, but to embrace all the tools at our disposal to tell these stories in innovative ways. We have the talent and the desire at Campbell Ewald to orchestrate the best ideas, the smarter ideas, and the most engaging ideas. I love that we have a collaborative culture and a team of intelligent, creative people. I look forward to building on that foundation and seeing how high a standard we can set.”

Shoesmith, reporting to Campbell Ewald president Kevin Wertz, joined the agency last year as executive creative director from Leo Burnett Chicago where she was SVP creative director, working on such brands as Allstate and Hallmark. Shoesmith succeeds longtime chief creative officer Mark Simon who is retiring after 16 years with the agency. Shoesmith will oversee creative for all of Campbell Ewald offices, which includes Detroit, Michigan, Los Angeles, New York and San Antonio.

Says Michael Roth, chairman and CEO of IPG: “We’re thrilled Jo is taking the lead creative role at Campbell Ewald. We know that she will continue developing the award-winning and innovative work she’s known for – ideas that move the needle on her clients’ business goals.”

Says Wertz: “Jo is the ideal choice to lead the charge creatively at our agency. She inspires great work across all marketing disciplines. She also has a great passion to mentor and develop talent to their fullest potential, which will help evolve the agency’s creative culture.”