Let’s review the first week of work for new Draftfcb CEO Carter Murray—particularly his key hiring decisions.
In a bewildering act of exclusivity mixed with stupidity, Murray pulled Jonathan Harries out of the Draftfcb dumpster and re-anointed him as Global Chief Creative Officer. This is the equivalent of an NFL team suddenly signing Tim Tebow to run the offense. Or Tim Conway.
To perhaps address the alleged dearth of dames in our field, Murray named Elyssa Phillips as his Chief of Staff. Um, when did advertising firms ever require such a role? Somebody tell Murray he’s leading a White agency, not the White House.
Murray engaged in standard cronyism by tapping Nigel Jones as Global Chief Strategy Officer. Murray and Jones co-conspired at Publicis, and the move marks a second stint at Draftfcb for the GCSO. It’s British Bromance meets Old Boys’ Club.
Finally, Murray elevated Vita Harris to EVP Strategic Planning. In a memo to the troops, Murray gushed, “Vita has made significant contributions to our global network, especially in recent years. She is not just respected for her great thinking and the results she produces but also, as I have heard from many sources, because of her passion for our business and her integrity that run deep. Whilst remaining a key partner on our global leadership team, Vita and I are also exploring an exciting new initiative that would take advantage of her many talents…but we will save that news for another note!” Oh, please don’t nominate her to be Global Diversity Ambassador.
It could be argued that Murray extended generous offers to White men, while granting token merits to the women. Then again, if the new CEO continues his recruiting average of two White men for every White woman and Black woman, he’ll bring more diversity to the industry than anyone in recorded history.
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