Britt Nolan Departs Leo Burnett for McCann Worldgroup

McCann Worldgroup has nabbed lauded creative Britt Nolan from Leo Burnett to take on the new role of chief creative officer, North America. He will report to Javier Campopiano, global chief creative officer of McCann Worldgroup and McCann.

Nolan will work with the network’s creative leadership in the U.S. and Canada across McCann, MRM, FutureBrand, and Craft to encourage collaboration across capabilities and agencies.

“Britt 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. He has a rare track record of success across both creative and business, with a unique understanding of how they power each other,” said Campopiano in a statement.

Nolan was most recently president and chief creative officer of Leo Burnett Chicago, boomeranging back to the agency in 2021 after spending a decade in creative director and CCO roles there. He also spent time at DDB, including early in his career and again from 2019 to 2021, when he was chief creative officer.

He said the opportunity at McCann was too good to pass up, considering it widens his remit to all of North America and lets him collaborate with numerous offices and new clients, adding the market is big and important enough market to need this kind of focus.

“The agency’s belief in brands and the power of brand building is exactly in line with my own and what I’ve been trying to do throughout my career,” Nolan told ADWEEK.

He said his approach to “brand” encompasses every consumer touchpoint and interaction.

“This role, spanning across all of McCann Worldgroup and each agency’s unique capabilities, gave me an opportunity to approach brand building from every possible angle,” said Nolan.

A creative powerhouse

Nolan is a highly decorated creative, having won Cannes Grand Prix, Effie, D&AD, ADC, One Show, Clio, and LIA awards. In 2019, he was inducted into the AAF’s Hall of Achievement. 

He created the iconic “Mayhem” character for Allstate; launched Samsung’s “Do What You Can’t” platform with the help of a flying ostrich; developed the “Chill” branding for Coors Light; and created a life-size—and Airbnb-rentable—replica of Vincent Van Gogh’s “The Bedroom” for the Art Institute of Chicago, which led to the museum’s highest ticket sales in 15 years.

Nolan said that he is excited to work with the team that Campopiano has built at McCann since he joined the agency from Grey in early 2023, including Jordan Doucette, who was recently named CCO of McCann Worldgroup Canada.

Nolan will also partner with Stephanie Nerlich, president, McCann Worldgroup Americas and global president of McCann, on campaigns with cross-functional teams.

“Britt will be a creative force for the region and a tremendous creative partner. He’s proven he can deliver transformative and strategically aligned creative solutions that drive client growth,” said Nerlich in a statement.

Nolan will relocate from Chicago to New York for his new role, which he starts in January 2025. He shared lofty ambitions to create the best creative era yet for McCann.

“Competitively, I will want not only for us to be the best in the industry, but for this region to be the best in the network, and I’m excited about the challenge of that,” said Nolan.

McCann’s recent business wins in the region include global creative responsibilities for PwC and new brands for its Reckitt portfolio in the U.S. 

Nolan is the latest in a series of new creative hires and internal promotions from Campopiano. Other new hires include Doucette in Canada; Lynsey Atkin, chief creative officer of McCann London; and Shannon Washington as global chief creative officer of Gotham.

Leo Burnett has found a replacement for Nolan in Publicis Creative U.S. CCO Renato Fernandez.

“We are excited to announce Renato Fernandez as Leo Burnett Chicago CCO, bringing his commitment to creative excellence and craft. We are so grateful to Britt for his contributions to Leo Burnett and wish him the best in his future endeavors. Fernandez will also retain responsibilities as CCO for Publicis Creative U.S.,” a Leo Burnett spokesperson said in a statement.