Erwin Penland Names Con Williamson Chief Creative Officer

NEW YORK, NY and GREENVILLE, SC--(Marketwired - Dec 10, 2013) -  Full-service marketing communications agency Erwin Penland today announced that it has made a major talent acquisition that will elevate Erwin Penland's creative output and transform the agency's presence in the industry.

With the appointment of Con Williamson as Chief Creative Officer, and John Cornette as SVP, Executive Creative Director, Erwin Penland has added award-winning creative capabilities in virtually every medium. Additionally, John Dunleavy has been appointed Managing Director for the New York office and Director of Account Management for the entire agency. 

"To continue to be an even bigger player on the national scene, we defined a new vision for the future that led to investing in a stellar team of talent with celebrated work and experience," said Joe Erwin, President of Erwin Penland. "We recognize how our New York office is critical to the agency's overall success and have no doubt that this dynamite group of industry pioneers will expand our creative reputation and help attain overarching business goals."

These new hires come as the agency adds capabilities for present and future clients. The agency currently provides a full-service offering that supports national and international brands such as Verizon, Uniroyal and L'eggs. Recently, Erwin Penland was named AOR for Denny's and won several other new business opportunities.

Williamson's role will be multi-faceted. Responsible for driving creative ideas across the agency and for clients, he will be integral to bringing a new generation of thinking to the organization. Williamson comes to Erwin Penland with more than 15 years of creative experience, having most recently worked at Saatchi & Saatchi on brands like Miller Lite, Lenovo, Head & Shoulders, Cheerios, Luv's and Tide as Chief Creative Officer. Previously, Williamson held creative roles at Euro/RSCG, Fallon/Duffy, JWT and his own agency Lodge 212 where he created award-winning work for brands from Dos Equis to Time Magazine to Ford.

"I immediately connected with Joe when we met over a year ago and instantly related to Erwin Penland's sense of purpose, its entrepreneurial drive and more than anything the team's conviction," said Williamson. "They aren't just talking about 'changing the game' or 'being digital,' the agency is already doing these things. We want to shake things up together and I'm glad to have the opportunity to do it with amazing people from the leadership team down." 

In addition, Erwin Penland has tapped the expertise of experienced agency professionals, including:

• John Cornette as SVP, Executive Creative Director: Cornette has worked his way up the creative ranks at agencies such as R/GA, JWT, BBDO and most recently Saatchi & Saatchi New York, and has worked on brands like Microsoft, Lenovo, Verizon Wireless, Macy's, T. Rowe Price, Rolex, Jose Cuervo, Diamond Trading Co., Duvel Beer, GE and Mountain Dew.

• John Dunleavy, Managing Director, New York and Director of Account Management: Dunleavy has worked in a variety of client leadership roles at respected global agencies, most recently as EVP, Managing Director at Saatchi & Saatchi New York. At Erwin Penland, he will lead operations and growth for the agency's New York office in addition to overseeing and integrating account management best practices across teams and offices.

Karen Kaplan, CEO of Hill Holliday, Erwin Penland's parent company, said, "These three world-class hires in New York will enable Erwin Penland to capitalize on the opportunities to grow with new and current clients. Attracting this caliber of modern, creative talent is exactly the kind of move that will help us grow on the national level and bring us closer to our vision for the Hill Holliday network."

This announcement comes on the heels of another important hire for Erwin Penland with the addition of Chris Quillen, EVP, Executive Creative Director, who joined in September from McCann Erickson, New York. Quillen will serve as a senior executive creative director under Williamson in creative leadership. Quillen is based in the South Carolina office.

About Erwin Penland
Helping create success for the people we touch, Erwin Penland builds brands and businesses by seamlessly integrating strategic planning, digital development, content creation and distribution, customer experience and a host of other disciplines. With offices in New York, Detroit and Greenville, S.C., Erwin Penland has earned numerous awards for marketing effectiveness and creative excellence. Its empowering culture, entrepreneurial spirit and commitment to inclusion and collaboration are among the reasons Erwin Penland was named one of the Best Places to Work by Advertising Age. The 375-person firm is part of Boston-based Hill Holliday, one of the nation's largest ad agencies and a member of The Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE: IPG).