Erin Riley has been named President of the agency. Riley joins TBWA from San Francisco-based retailer Old Navy, where she served as VP, Marketing and Brand Engagement. She will report to TBWA\Worldwide President and CEO Troy Ruhanen. TBWA\Chiat\Day is part of TBWA Worldwide (www.tbwa.com), a top ten ranked global advertising network that holds Disruption® at its core to develop business-changing ideas for the brands it works with. TBWA has 11,500 employees across 301 offices in 97 countries and also includes brands such as AUDITOIRE, BEING, Digital Arts Network (DAN), eg+ worldwide, The Integer Group®, TBWA\Media Arts Lab and TBWA\WorldHealth. TBWA’s global clients include Accenture, adidas, Apple, Gatorade, GoDaddy, Henkel, McDonald’s, Michelin, Nissan, Pernod Ricard, Pfizer, Standard Chartered Bank, Singapore Airlines, Sotheby’s and Vichy.
Riley, who will join the agency in June, brings a diverse marketing background to TBWA\Chiat\Day, with more than 15 years of experience working in multiple industries and across brand, agency and start-up cultures. Prior to joining Old Navy in 2015, she was VP, Global Marketing for luxury accessories retailer Cole Haan, responsible for overseeing the full spectrum of marketing efforts, including brand strategy, creative development, media and content strategy, agency management, retail/wholesale marketing, social media, PR, and direct response. She is credited with developing sophisticated social campaigns, branded content partnerships and e-commerce strategies that helped to reposition and propel the brand into the future.
TBWA\Chiat\Day Nabs Erin Riley
Prior to Cole Haan, Riley spent nearly a decade at BBH New York, beginning in account management and eventually rising to lead the department. She was charged with guiding client relationships, setting department standards and cultivating top talent. She also served as Brand and Communications Director for BBH’s ZAG, a brand invention and consulting venture within the agency that specializes in inventing and launching brands for equity. As a member of the agency’s Executive Board, she was also responsible for shaping the macro agenda and driving culture. In her time at BBH, Riley worked across several marquee brands, including Johnnie Walker and Axe, and was instrumental in the launch campaign for ALLY Bank that garnered unprecedented brand popularity and was awarded a Bronze Film Lion at Cannes. She began her career in advertising as an account executive on L’Oreal at McCann and D’Arcy.
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TBWA has been at the forefront of empowering female leaders within the company, publicly pledging to increase women in leadership roles across the board by 20% over the next several years. In addition to Riley, the agency has recently hired Nancy Reyes as Managing Director and Trish Schmitt Global Creative Director in the New York office, and Linda Knight as Executive Creative Director in Los Angeles. Riley joins Erica Hoholick, President of TBWA\Media Arts Lab and Jill Nykoliation, President of JuniperPark\TBWA as TBWA office leaders within North America.