• by Larissa Faw , February 3, 2014

Omnicom agency RAPP has named Rik Haslam SVP executive creative director, overseeing the creative department at its New York office. The agency said Haslam will also work closely with the senior leadership team on new business efforts and other agency initiatives. The new posting is effective today.

Haslam is a familiar face to the company, as he previously served as chief creative officer at RAPP UK. Haslam will manage a staff of around 50 people and report to Robert Grammatica, managing director.

The shift derives from a bit of happenstance, said Grammatica. After seven years, Haslam was seeking new challenges, but wanted to stay within the company. At the same time, RAPP's New York office needed a new creative leader.

In May 2012, RAPP named the husband-and-wife team of Wayne and Kim Pick as co-executive creative directors, but a few months ago, they expressed interest in returning back to their home country of New Zealand. Both Picks will remain in the Omnicom family. Kim will continue to work on several New York accounts. "She is a particular genius at copy-writing," says Grammatica. And Wayne Pick will work at Omnicom's New Zealand office.

Last week, RAPP's CMO Zihla Salinas announced she was joining MDC Partners. For now, Tracey Brown is serving as interim CMO while continuing her role as managing director of RAPP's Dallas office.

Of his new role, Haslam said, "I want to focus on doing brilliant work while having fun."

RAPP New York’s client roster includes Time Warner Cable Studios, for which the agency developed and is tasked with maintaining the company’s social hub and real-time content portal. The agency also serves as the B2B agency for the economic development of New York State, which includes work on Start-Up NY. 

This story has been updated with a correction.