• by Steve McClellan  @mp_mcclellan, March 23, 2016

WPP’s J. Walter Thompson Worldwide has created the role of CEO for its Atlanta office and has appointed Spence Kramer to fill it. Most recently with Crispin Porter + Bogusky, Kramer will report to Stefano Zunino, who was promoted earlier this month to CEO Americas for the agency. (That role is new as well.)

Kramer’s arrival comes as the current head of the Atlanta office, president and chief creative officer Perry Fair is preparing to leave the agency. He’ll be assisting in the transition through May 1. 

At Crispin, Kramer served as the agency’s Global Managing Director, working to improve performance, operations and communications across the network’s six offices.

Prior to CP+B, Kramer was at Wieden+Kennedy Portland for seven years, first serving as Global Account Director on Nike, a role in which he oversaw teams across seven offices on the brand’s longstanding “Just Do It” campaign and Olympics work, among others.

In 2009, he was promoted to Global Account Director on the agency’s Coca-Cola businesses, managing brand and product work for Coke, Diet Coke, Coke Zero and Powerade. He also led the agency’s winning pitch for Coca-Cola’s sponsorship of the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

Before joining the agency world, Kramer was vice president, marketing and  communications at Virgin America, hired as a founding member to build the airline’s brand and communications strategies from the ground up. During his tenure, he helped design and create the airline’s in-flight entertainment system. Earlier he was vp, advertising and promotion at ESPN.

Kramer joins the Atlanta office at a tumultuous time for the agency. Two weeks ago, it was rocked by a widely reported sex harassment law suit against its former global CEO Gustavo Martinez by JWT chief communications officer Erin Johnson.

Martinez resigned last week. Tamara Ingram, who had been chief client team officer at WPP was tapped to replace him.