Hefty - "Start Again"

First female CCO within Havas’ North American creative network also becomes the first to hold the dual role  

Less than a year after becoming chief creative officer of Havas Chicago, Myra Nussbaum has been promoted to the dual role of president and chief creative officer of the creative agency. Nussbaum, the first female CCO within Havas’ North American creative network, now adds agency leadership responsibilities to her current creative remit, which has been focused on creative development and advancement for Havas Chicago’s entire portfolio of clients and teams since taking the helm in May 2021. Now, Nussbaum will be responsible for the agency’s strategic oversight and guidance to continue to positively position the Havas Chicago Village in the marketing marketplace.

“A funny thing happened as we were searching for our next amazing leader for Havas Chicago,” said Stephanie Nerlich, CEO, Havas North America. “I got to spend an enormous amount of time with one candidate that exemplifies so many of the qualities we were looking for—someone who believes in building solutions around real client problems with a client-centric mindset; someone who asks for more data, not less, to uncover insight; someone who finds joy in the thrill of the hunt; and, most importantly, someone who passionately believes in the power of creativity: our very own Myra Nussbaum, who has been demonstrating the impact of her leadership in action every day.”  

A hands-on doer with an entrepreneurial spirit, and a track record of driving growth while creating brilliant work, Nussbaum is a progressive leader and inherent collaborator who knows how to unlock the potential of her people. Since joining Havas Chicago, Nussbaum has demonstrated a keen combination of business acumen and fearless creativity. She has overseen the development of high-profile work for her clients, driven new business opportunities for the agency and proven to bring the best work out of others. In addition to continuing to lead the revolutionizing of brands through craft and culture, she’s now also tasked with reimagining Havas Chicago’s vision and delivering the plan for its continued success – working with executive, client, strategy, and creative leaders throughout the agency to ensure creativity is at the center to accelerate clients’ businesses.

“In today’s world, where agencies serve as strategic partners to brands and marketers, the business implications of our creative approach have never been more important,” said Nussbaum. “Not only must our work authentically tap into culture, it needs to be brave to break through and make a meaningful difference while still positively impacting a brand’s bottom line. I have always looked at my clients’ creative needs through a business lens, and now I’m excited to flip the switch by looking at our agency’s business objectives through a creative-first mindset.”

With Nussbaum’s appointment, the agency will continue to prioritize creativity. Another recent hire, Vincent Geraghty, joins Havas Chicago as head of production and studios, where he’ll work closely with Nussbaum to develop best-in-class campaigns and work. Geraghty is a 30-year advertising industry veteran who is passionate about innovative content creation. Throughout his career, he’s built studios and led integrated productions teams that deliver award-winning and scalable motion, static, digital, and experiential marketing productions for global brands.

In her new dual role, Nussbaum will report into Nerlich.

About Havas Chicago

Havas Chicago is committed to building meaningful brands through craft and culture. The agency brings an unmatched understanding of emerging consumers’ mindsets and behaviors, and a passion for embracing tomorrow’s trends shaping business and pop culture. Part of Havas Group, a leading integrated marketing communications agency and the first to be named Global Agency of the Year by both Advertising Age and Campaign in the same year, Havas Chicago fuses an independent spirit with global scale to support the network’s mission to make a meaningful difference to brands, businesses and people. Learn more on the website, or follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.