• by Larissa Faw , January 14, 2015

Last year, kirshenbaum bond senecal + partners (KBS) made strides in becoming a global company through acquisitions such as Albion London, launching new offices in China and adding talent in Europe and Asia. 

Now, the agency is bringing Guy Hayward on board to serve as global CEO to help solidify its standing as an international agency. 

Hayward will oversee the entire KBS network, spanning New York, London, Los Angeles, Montreal, Toronto, and Shanghai. He will work closely with KBS's executive team to strengthen the agency's relationships with clients with an international focus including TE Connectivity, American Express, BMW, and Puma. He will be based in New York and report to Lori Senecal, global executive chairman, KBS and president, CEO, MDC Partners Network.  

Hayward's prior international experience will serve him well in this new position. “What I love about Guy is that his values clearly align with those we care about deeply at KBS," says Senecal. "He’s an entrepreneur with a passion for building standout companies, and he’s always had a creative first mindset. We are confident he will aggressively drive KBS to become the most inventive global agency as our growth continues around the world.”

Hayward comes to KBS from BETC Worldwide, where he served as global development director. During his tenure, he was responsible for building the BETC network in Paris and overseeing global clients, including Mondelez International, Bacardi Global, and Diet Coke Europe. Hayward also has worked at Wieden+Kennedy and JWT UK. He also has experience managing teams across multiple countries, having launched his own agency, 180, with colleagues Alex Melvin and Larry Frey in 1998. Before he left, the agency included more than 200 people in Amsterdam and 50 in Santa Monica.

Hayward said: “KBS’s range of capabilities makes it one of the most modern creative forces in the business. The agency produces truly seamless communications for its clients and now, with the recent global expansion, is able to do this on a global scale. Albion in London is the perfect European partner for the agency and the start-up in Shanghai is led by high-profile Chinese talent. It’s an incredibly exciting time for the agency.”

Hayward will oversee the agency’s numerous operating units including technology division KBS Spies & Assassins, start-up investment arm KBS Ventures and content creation operation KBS Content Labs. The agency also operates specialty units including The Media Kitchen for media planning and buying, social media agency Attention, and PR shop Kwittken.