The creative leadership carousel continues to turn. David Lubars recently announced his retirement after four decades at BBDO. Chris Beresford-Hill, who had been at Ogilvy as president of advertising for North America, left there to replace Lubars at BBDO. Now, Dentsu Creative chief creative officer of U.S. and LATAM, Rafael Rizuto, has departed Dentsu to take the chief creative officer for North America at Ogilvy.
At Ogilvy, Rizuto will be responsible for the agency’s creative product across its capability areas in the U.S. and Canada, one of Ogilvy’s leading global markets. He returns to Ogilvy having worked for the agency twice before, first in Dubai then again in his native Brazil.
Rizuto has also spent time at at BBH, TBWA’s 180LA, Leo Burnett, and most recently at Dentsu Creative. Rizuto also ran his agency from 2017-2020, TBD in San Francisco.
“An extraordinary talent and incredible human being, Rafa is someone I have admired for so long. Like Ogilvy, he believes in creativity’s ability to drive business—it’s an ability he has proven across his work, at agencies and as an entrepreneur. I am overjoyed at his return to Ogilvy, and for all the ways he will add to our work,” said Liz Taylor, global chief creative officer at Ogilvy.
Rizuto told ADWEEK that being back at Ogilvy is like coming home, and he is excited to collaborate with the talent at all the North American offices.
“The best creative leaders are the ones who can recognize talent everywhere, and create an environment that they can do their best, versus trying to impose like a vision,” said Rizuto of his leadership style. He added that the ultimate test of a creative leader is to be able to recognize a great idea, no matter where it comes from, and that Ogilvy has the right talent and client roster to make great creative work.
Rizuto decided to make the move from Dentsu at a time when that agency has gone through multiple changes, including blending all its creative shops into Dentsu Creative in 2022, parting ways with global chief creative officer Fred Levron, the departure of CEO Wendy Clark from Dentsu International and the naming of Abbey Klaassen as U.S. CEO.
