AKQA promoted insider Pierre Lipton to executive creative director, effective Jan. 9. He will report directly to AKQA CCO Rei Inamoto, said Katy Zack, AKQA’s marketing and PR manager.
Lipton joined AKQA in 2010 as a group creative director overseeing creative for Microsoft Xbox and YouTube. He will lead the entire creative department in the agency’s San Francisco office and is one of AKQA’s two U.S. executive creative directors.
Lipton was selected after “an extensive recruitment effort for a long time … as well as internal considerations,” said Inamoto, via email. He was not more specific about the length of the recruitment effort. “Sometimes, with this sort of search, it takes looking outside to realize the best solution is within. We needed someone who had a track record of great work, leadership, innovation and commitment. We happened to realize we already had that person in Pierre.”
Inamoto said this is a new position, and that he himself filled the role from 2005 to 2010.
Lipton said in an email that in his new role, he will focus on appropriate staffing and “making sure we have the right people in place to continue to produce innovative work we’re proud of and that drives results for our clients.”
Before joining AKQA, Lipton was SVP and creative director at BBDO New York. He was also previously an associate creative director for TBWAChiatDay.
