• by Amy Corr  @MediaPostOTL, November 4, 2014

DDB Chicago hired Jack Perone as chief strategy officer, responsible for heading the agency's planning department. He previously served as vice president, director of planning and global planning director, at J. Walter Thompson. Perone reports to Paul Gunning, CEO of DDB Chicago. In his new position, Perone will be responsible for leading the full strategic planning process, including all analytics functions. During his eighteen years at J. Walter Thompson, Perone managed an integrated planning department, overseeing key agency accounts and generating a number of major new business wins, among them Johnson & Johnson's Tylenol, Motrin, and the U.S. pain franchise, Grand Marnier, University of Toronto, Kit Kat and Special K. "We're delighted to welcome Jack to the DDB Chicago team," said Gunning. "Not only is he a passionate strategic thinker, but he brings to the agency a wealth of experience and a fresh perspective. We're confident he will help build a stronger department and become an integral part of our leadership team."