Andrew Robertson to Become Chairman of BBDO Worldwide

BBDO Worldwide announced today that Andrew Robertson, who has served as president and CEO since May 2004, will become chairman on October 1st. Nancy Reyes will succeed him as president and CEO of BBDO Worldwide.

Under his leadership, the network has been recognised as one of the most consistently creative and effective agencies in the world, garnering numerous industry accolades and setting a standard for creative excellence. 

BBDO was named Network of the Year at Cannes Lions a record-setting seven times and, in 2020, the first-ever Network of the Decade. Since 2005, BBDO has also been honoured as Global Agency of the Year in Ad Age, Adweek and Campaign, was named Best of the Best by the World Advertising Research Center, and has been recognised as the Most Effective Network in the world five times by the Global Effie Index.

“We have been extremely lucky to have an industry titan at the helm of BBDO for over two decades,” said John Wren, chairman and CEO of Omnicom. “Andrew’s passion for the business was felt by his people and clients alike, always hands on to ensure the network maintained its industry leading standards of creativity. We are grateful he will continue to guide the network in his new role as chairman and are excited for Nancy to take the reins as CEO as she propels BBDO into the future.”

Andrew was inducted to the AAF Hall of Fame in 2022 and has been named one of The 100 Most Influential Leaders in Marketing, Media and Tech, alongside the likes of Mark Zuckerburg, Tim Cook and Jeff Bezos. 

He has worked closely with many of the agency’s clients and been instrumental in some of its most notable new business wins, including, in recent years, The Home Depot, Enterprise Holdings, and Heineken. 

Nancy Reyes, who joined BBDO in October of last year, has an enviable track record for client growth and talent development. 

“When Nancy joined last year as CEO of The Americas, I’m sure it was clear to all what the plan was,” Robertson said. “In the time since, she has proven to be exactly what I expected – a decisive and fast-acting leader with a clear point of view on where we need to go as a network, resilience, a sense of humour, and a relentless drive to bring great work to our clients that drives their businesses. Nancy has made this decision very easy for me.” 

Nancy Reyes expressed her respect and admiration for Robertson: “I recognise I have some big shoes to fill. Andrew’s career and legacy is unparalleled – I am lucky he will be around to provide guidance and support to our clients, our teams and me. I am excited to have the opportunity to bring the beautiful community of BBDO together to design where we go from here. This is a fantastic agency with a very long runway ahead.”

“I want to be clear. I have no plan to retire,” said Robertson. “As chairman I will be here to help Nancy in whatever ways I can, to coach our people, and to work with our clients, something I have always loved doing.”