Jack Morton appoints Shelley Elkins as chief creative officer
Global brand experience agency Jack Morton has announced the promotion of Shelley Elkins to chief creative officer today (2 April).
Shelley Elkins appointed Jack Morton's chief creative officer
In her new role, Elkins will steer the agency’s vision globally as part of the executive leadership team. Additionally, she will chair Jack Morton’s creative council of senior creative leaders from across its global teams.
Based in Chicago, Elkins will report to Julian Pullan, vice chairman and president, international.
“At a time when brand experiences are more important than ever, I’m excited to be part of the agency that started it all and to help plot the course for the future,” Elkins told The Drum. “As Jack celebrates its 80th year, we’re entering a new era for creativity and innovation — pushing the boundaries of what we do even further.”
In her previous role as Jack Morton’s senior vice-president, executive creative director, Elkins led the agency to numerous award wins for clients such as Charmin, Covergirl and M&M’s.
Elkins also played an instrumental role in securing key new business wins; for example, MillerCoors, which recently named Jack Morton its lead agency for its experiential, sports, music and entertainment marketing.
“One of my evergreen priorities is supporting our creative talent. Extraordinary work starts and ends with our people, but in particular, I want to focus on how we support diversity, equity and inclusion. As a woman and a mother of two, it’s an area I am especially passionate about,” added Elkins, who served as Jack Morton’s signatory on the open letter that defined the Time’s Up Advertising movement.
“I’m happy to say that while there’s always more work to do, our executive leadership team is now 44% female, and in the last year, we’ve increased our female creative representation by 15%. We’re working hard to level the playing field as much as possible through recruitment, management training programs and more to support our growing staff."
Josh McCall, chairman and chief executive officer of Jack Morton, said: “Shelley is an exceptional and inspiring storyteller. Her proven track record for creating extraordinary brand experiences coupled with her infectious energy and passion made her a natural fit for the role. The impact she has made on our business is well recognized and we’re looking forward to her pushing the limits of our creative output.”
Prior to joining Jack Morton, Elkins served as a vice-president and creative director at Digitas.