Y&R has tapped João Coutinho as its North America Executive Creative Director (ECD). He will join Y&R in May and be based in New York, reporting to Y&R North America Chief Creative Officer Leslie Sims.
In this new role, Coutinho will work closely with Sims to oversee the creative vision for all key accounts and contribute to new business opportunities across the region.
“João’s creative spirit is absolutely infectious. He’s been the force behind ideas that have become part of culture and have truly engaged and touched people all over the world. Not only is his list of achievements impressive, he is also one of the nicest, most down-to-earth people you’ll ever meet. We are so happy to welcome him on board as we strengthen our creative leadership in North America,” said Sims, in a release.
“The chance to help Leslie shape Y&R North America’s creative culture is the opportunity I’ve worked toward my whole career. When I met Tony, Leslie, Dick and the team, I had an instant chemistry with them. We see things the same way and want to make them happen. I’m excited for what’s ahead and what we can do together for our current and future clients,” added Coutinho.
Coutinho is joing Y&R from Grey New York, where he served as Group Creative Director, working for clients such as Volvo, Canon, Clairol, Bosch, and P&G among others. His work at Grey helped the agency land the title of ‘Most Awarded Agency’ for two years in a row at Cannes.
He was behind the viral campaign ‘Guns with History’ developed for States United to Prevent Gun Violence, a national non-profit organization working to decrease gun death and injury. He was also responsible for the Volvo US ‘Highway Robbery’ campaign, which turned passing cars on a southern California highway into generators.
He also served as Creative Lead at Ogilvy Brazil, during which time he helped the agency earn Cannes Lions Agency of the Year in 2013, after winning a Grand Prix and 7 Lions.
