12413: DDB Hires Global Citizen.

Advertising Age reported DDB New York tapped a non-White man—Icaro Doria—to serve as the agency’s new Chief Creative Officer. What’s more, the hiring appears to demonstrate deliberate diversity at work, a definitely different direction for DDB. Doria is a native Brazilian who has held professional roles in Brazil, Portugal and the U.S. “I was very conscientious of doing the due diligence—I wanted to have all of the right data to form my decision and select the right person,” said DDB New York President and CEO Chris Brown when explaining the appointment. “I wanted a real modern creative leader. It was important for him to have strong New York and creative experiences, but also very important to be a global citizen.”

For White advertising agencies in the U.S., a global citizen usually means a White adman from the U.K. or a White adman who has spent time on an Asian continent and/or engaged in economic colonialism in an emerging market. Not sure what’s really motivating Brown’s reasoning. Perhaps he’s being sensitive to the ignorant trend of advertisers seeking one global idea for each megabrand. If so, Dario is probably better equipped to succeed than the average White adman; however, his experience abroad does not necessarily translate to cultural competence across planetary borders—especially since Brazil is hardly a mecca of multiculturalism and inclusive thinking. Regardless, Dario’s hiring is preferable to seeing yet another White man or White woman assuming a CCO position. The ultimate challenge will be for a global citizen to lead a staff predominately comprised of culturally clueless White Americans.

DDB New York Taps Icaro Doria as Chief Creative Officer

Was Founder and Exec Creative Director of W&K, Sao Paolo

By Malika Toure

Omnicom’s DDB New York has named Icaro Doria chief creative officer. He fills the position left vacant since Matt Eastwood’s departure for JWT this past June.

This is New York office President and CEO Chris Brown’s first key hire since joining the agency from DDB Group Australia last September.

“I was very conscientious of doing the due diligence—I wanted to have all of the right data to form my decision and select the right person,” he said.

Mr. Doria will report directly to Mr. Brown and joins the agency from Wieden Kennedy, Sao Paolo, where he was a founder and exec creative director. There, he led creative efforts on Heineken, Nike, Mondelez, Philips and Coca-Cola—including its 2014 World Cup campaign—amongst other brands.

“I wanted a real modern creative leader,” explained Mr. Brown. “It was important for him to have strong New York and creative experiences, but also very important to be a global citizen.”

Prior to Wieden & Kennedy, Mr. Doria had been group creative director at Goodby, Silverstein & Partners in San Francisco following creative roles at both Y&R and Saatchi & Saatchi offices in New York.

“He has the experience of working in big agencies—ones that have come to fruition,” said Mr. Brown, citing Saatchi, where Mr. Doria was a creative director from 2005 to 2008, as an example. “But he works in a great start-up mentality as well—involved in building an agency from the ground up,” he said.

“Opening an agency and starting from zero is more something you do with your heart than something you do with your brain,” explained Mr. Doria, “but they’re skills you bring along with you for the rest of your career, you learn to make a good first impression over and over again.”

Mr. Doria’s official start date is March 1.