• by Steve McClellan  @mp_mcclellan, March 2, 2020

Sausalito, CA-based independent creative agency Butler, Shine, Stern & Partners has named Tracey Pattani its new CEO. She replaces David Eastman who held the job for about a year-and-a-half after joining the shop in 2017 as COO.

Pattani’s appointment marks her return to the agency where she was a group account director earlier in her career. She rejoins BSSP from Digitas San Francisco where she has served as senior vice president head of account management since 2016. She worked with clients like Amway, Pandora and PlayStation, and is credited with helping expand the agency’s offering, building out CRM, social and content services.

Pattani will work closely with agency founders and current co-chairs Greg Stern and John Butler.  

Separately the agency has hired Nicole Michels McDonagh as its newest group creative director. She will partner with group creative director Sinan Dagli to co-lead creative teams. This marks McDonagh’s second stint at BSSP as well, previously working within the creative department as a Senior Writer.

Michels McDonagh previously served at Wunderman Thompson where she was most recently group creative director, working with brands such as Tommy Hilfiger, Coca-Cola and Bacardi. Earlier she served at Kirshenbaum, Bond & Partners, Cole & Weber and FCB Seattle.