Management consultant, UX and tech solutions agency Credera, part of Omnicom’s Precision Marketing Group, has promoted Justin Bell to CEO. Bell is a 15 year veteran of the firm and has served as president since 2016. He succeeds Rob Borrego as part of a multi-year succession plan. Borrego led the agency for 15 years.

Wunderman Thompson has announced the five women who will be this year’s recipients of the Helen Lansdowne Resor (HLR) Scholarship. The awards follow a review of hundreds of submission from around the globe.  Resor was the industry’s and J. Walter Thompson’s first female copywriter. In addition to being an outstanding copywriter she was also an advocate for the advancement of women in the creative domain. The scholarship, established by JWT in partnership with the 4A’s Foundation in 2014, is an international opportunity that recognizes talented female creative advertising students globally. This year’s winners are: Mariana Legaspi Jimenez (Art Direction, ITESO), LATAM Leda Bartolucci (Communication …

Tom Callard is rejoining BBH as head of planning for the New York office.  Reporting to Sarah Watson, chairman, global and NY chief strategy officer, Callard will lead strategic planning, which at the agency focuses on innovation and integration.  Callard, who previously worked at BBH London from 2013-2015, most recently served as group strategy director at 72andSunny New York.  

Hudson Rouge New York has hired Mary Ellen Verrusio as the agency's head of integrated production. She brings 25 years of global experience to the WPP shop, whose major client is Ford’s Lincoln brand. She previously worked with Publicis Sapient, BBH, mcgarrybowen, and other agencies.

Sandbox is hiring Neil Cleary as vice president, strategic planning to direct and manage strategy across the agency's client roster. This newly added role helps round out a team that includes brand planners and engagement planners. Cleary brings more than 23 years of strategy, advertising, and consulting expertise, including stints at Iris, Arnold, Leo Burnett, Grey, and Y&R as well as his own consultancy. 

The Escape Pod is appointing Anwar Khuri as Executive Producer of the agency and its production arm Gravity Well Studio. He’ll oversee expansion of the shop’s production capabilities. Khuri previously worked at Ogilvy & Mather, DraftFCB and McCann Erickson. He also founded Popskull, a boutique creative agency serving such clients as SkinnyPop and Lyft.

MDC Partners is hiring Nate Napier for the new role of managing director, key client relationships. Napier will be responsible for leading cross-agency integrations and innovations for network clients. He’ll also spearhead standards in client service. He will report to Mark Penn, Chairman and CEO of MDC Partners. Napier is well-versed in client partnerships, having spent the majority of his career on the client side of the business. Most recently he worked at Intuit  in a corporate responsibility and reputation management role. Earlier, Napier worked at Procter & Gamble as …

Mirum, part of WPP’s Wunderman Thompson, has hired Christine Cotter as its new vice president, social media. She will lead Mirum’s social practice, working out of the Chicago office.  Previously, Cotter served as account team lead at SocialDeviant. Earlier she held roles at FCB, DDB and Ketchum.  The hire is the latest in a series of senior appointments at the agency including Brian Morris who was named Chief Creative Officer in July.  

Atlanta-based Scout is hiring Michael “Mash” Ashley, previously with Digitas, to lead its consumer creative department as vice president, managing creative director. He will work closely with management and brand teams to bolster the agency’s vision and growth as well as integrate and expand the agency’s service offering. He reports to Scout President Cheryl Maher. 

Grey has promoted Diego Medvedocky to president of Grey Latin America.  In addition, he will retain his responsibilities as Chief Creative Officer of Grey Latin America and president of Grey Argentina.  He will continue to work closely with Marco Milesi, CEO of Grey Latin America.  Medvedocky joined Grey Argentina as executive creative director in 2013.  He was appointed Chief Creative Officer of Grey Latin America, overseeing the creative product across 14 offices in the region in 2014. Last year he was promoted to President of Grey Argentina.  Under Medvedocky's creative leadership, Grey Argentina has doubled …