• by Larissa Faw , April 13, 2018

Four agencies are bolstering their leadership teams. Walton Isaacson promotes Christine Villanueva to the newly created Chief Strategy and Brand Officer to oversee all branding efforts on behalf of clients, as well as work with the agency’s cross disciplinary leadership team on the agency’s brand messaging.

This new elevation reflects her contributions to the agency's growth. Villanueva, who holds a Ph.D. in social psychology from the University of Michigan, first joined Walton Isaacson in August 2016 as senior vice president, head of strategy. Since then, she has been credited with helping develop work for clients including Lexus Black Panther work, NYPD, McDonald’s and Nike.

"A true pioneer of cross-cultural planning, Christine’s career has been steeped in both multicultural and broad-based consumer insight work and analytics,” says Walton Isaacson co-founder and partner Aaron Walton. “She has impeccable credentials, perfect for this position. At the University of Michigan she studied ethnicity and identity, the psychophysiology of emotions, and evolutionary psychology.”

Opinionated is appointing Trish Adams as newly created president to join the executive leadership team of founder Mark Fitzloff, and co-executive creative director Rob Palmer to oversee the Portland, Oregon-based agency.

Adams spent the last 21 years at Wieden+Kennedy (WK), where she has held various leadership positions. During her tenure, she has managed accounts including Microsoft, Amazon.com, AOL, Belvedere/Chopin Vodka, Starbucks and P&G’s Eukanuba.

This role reunites Adams and Fitzloff, who originally worked together at WK. Fitzloff then launched his own shop last year after departing from that agency.

“Trish and I have worked together since the Nineties. She is a fantastic leader -- the kind people line up to follow. And she knows how to inspire a team to tackle the most difficult creative challenges,” says Fitzloff. “Trish is truly one of the most talented account people out there, and with her on board, I feel like anything is possible for Opinionated.”

MediaLink appoints Nick Manning, ex-Ebiquity, as senior vice president to help the Ascential-owned company expand the advisory firm in Europe, including hiring new talent. He will work closely with vice chairman Wenda Harris Millard, who launched MediaLink’s London office in June 2017.

Sid Lee Paris is strengthening the agency's collaborations within other Sid Lee locations, as well as with sister kyu agencies and Hakuhodo DY Holdings companies by promoting Alex Pasini to senior vice president, global alliances to oversee the "internationalizing" of the Parisian office.

He will also be tasked with ensuring seamless communications with the Sid Lee collective as a whole, as well as coordinate processes with the different agencies in the Hakuhodo group and kyu collective. Eugénie Valletoux, ex-BETC Paris, joins as integration and new business director to work with Pasini to create these synergies between the various entities.