• by Fern Siegel , May 30, 2023

YARD NYC upped Ulrika Karlberg to Chief Creative Officer, becoming the agency’s first female CCO.

Previously, she held posts at Droga5 as a creative/copywriter, helping create UNIQLO’s first two global campaigns, worked as a creative director at Firstborn on the Adidas Originals, Jägermeister and Jet.com accounts.

Earlier, she worked at Grey NY, and Forsman & Bodenfors, Stockholm.

YARD NYC co-founder-CEO Ruth Bernstein said the promotion “signifies a moment of transformation for our agency and for the industry at-large as women’s voices continue to drive a broader impact on culture and creativity.”

Karlberg first worked at YARD NYC as a creative director in 2018. After a brief departure in 2021, she returned to the agency as Co-CCO alongside co-founder Stephen Nidziecki, who transitions to creative chairman.

“YARD is one of the most dedicated agencies to creative craft that I’ve ever worked at, and the team’s unique blend of strategy and conceptualized thinking are superpowers for creativity,” said Karlberg. She hopes to “disrupt culture and create genuine emotional connections for the brands we work with.”

Her awards include a Grand Prix and Gold in Cannes Lions, a White Pencil in D&AD impact, and a gold trophy in the Andys. In addition, her work has been recognized by the One Show and D&AD.

As one of the less than 1% of advertising agencies that are owned by women today, YARD NYC is a WBENC-certified business with 86% of employees identifying as female, BIPOC or LGBTQIA. Karlberg joins an all-female team of department heads, including Caroline Seklir, head of strategy; Melissa Shacham, head of client services; Emily Green, head of production; and Kat Wiberg, head of people and talent.

YARD NYC clients include Athleta's “Women Run” and "Power of She" platforms and collaborations with Simone Biles and Alicia Keys, the “Meet Me in the Gap” campaign, Walmart’s “We Dress America,” Kohl’s “Give with all Your Heart” and pro-bono work including "Leave Mom the F*ck Alone,” which gave back to Every Mother Counts.

Last year, the agency ensured abortion rights stayed top of mind as the "ROEvember" midterms approached with its in-house "STOP THE HORROR: digital and OOH campaign that reimagined six iconic horror films to reflect the real-life horror of a nation stripped of its right to choose.