FCB promotes two leaders to global C-suite

FCB has promoted two of its North American leaders to global C-suite positions, the agency said on Thursday.

Bella Patel, most recently EVP, chief talent officer at FCB Chicago, will move into the role of global chief talent officer. Mark Jungwirth, currently CFO in North America, will become global CFO.

The promotions are part of a succession plan that was put in place when FCB’s former global chief talent officer Cindy Augustine moved to sister agency McCann Worldgroup, and global CFO Carmen Battista moved into a new role at parent IPG that will be announced in a few weeks, according to a press release.

Both Patel and Jungwirth have each been with FCB for more than a decade. They will assume their new roles in Q1 and report to global chair and global chief creative officer Susan Credle and global CEO Tyler Turnbull.

Patel joined DraftFCB in Chicago as a human resources manager in 2006 and has led the human resources practice since 2011. Under her leadership, in 2021, FCB Chicago brought in 280 new people in its most diverse hiring class ever.

“As a talent champion and believer that inclusivity drives greater creativity, I’ve always thrived on building diverse teams that are passionate about our industry,” Patel said in a statement. “I’m looking forward to stepping into this global role to partner with transformational leaders like Susan and Tyler who believe talent is one of our greatest assets.”

Credle added: “At FCB, we believe our creative product is fueled by diversity, data and technology. As global chief talent officer, Bella will continue to make sure we honor that belief. Having led talent initiatives in our largest office for the last decade, Bella is well prepared to take on this important role. I cannot wait to see her impact as we look to attract and retain new generations of FCB talent with diverse and inspiring perspectives.”

Jungwirth joined FCB in 2010 as CFO in Chicago. Over the years, he has assumed oversight of IT, project management and office services across North America. Prior to FCB he worked within parent company IPG at McCann Worldgroup and Campbell Ewald.

“In my time with FCB, I’ve been on the front lines of proving that creativity is an economic multiplier. I could not be more excited to do the same for us at the global level,” Jungwirth said in a statement. “I’m looking forward to working closely with Susan, Tyler and our offices across FCB to further hone our focus on growth, efficiency and investment to help us better unleash creativity and drive measurable results for our clients.”

Turnbull added: “Mark is an incredibly talented person and leader who gets the value of creativity and the growth it drives for our clients and for our business. He is a true strategic partner who has helped ensure our business operations are run in a way that serves the creative product and has found new ways to monetize the value that product and our people deliver for clients. I know he will do the same for our global network.”

The promotions come on the heels of Credles' promotion to global chair and global CCO and Turnbull’s elevation to global CEO of FCB last week as global CEO Carter Murray announced his departure. Murray leaves about one year after Philippe Krakowsky took over as CEO of IPG after longtime leader Michael Roth retired.