Ogilvy names Dan Fisher first global chief creative officer for Ingo

Ogilvy has appointed Daniel Fisher, the global creative lead on its Unilever business, as the first global chief creative officer at its boutique agency network Ingo.

Fisher, who is global executive creative director, will take up the new post in September, becoming responsible for “elevating the creative output of [Ingo’s] offices in Stockholm, Hamburg and Zurich".

Fisher fills a vacancy left by Tobias Ahrens, whose departure from the agency was reported at the start of this month in the German trade press. It is not clear whether Ahrens had a new job to go to. While Ahrens bore the same title, he was based at the Hamburg office.

Although the boutique agency is based on the Continent, Fisher will remain in the UK and continue to be part of Ogilvy’s Worldwide Creative Council. He will report to global chief creative officer Liz Taylor and Stephan Vogel, regional chief creative officer for EMEA.

Fisher will also continue to be involved in Ogilvy’s Unilever business during a transition period. Ogilvy did not specifically say that a successor was being sought, but intimated there would be further news to announce.

Having been appointed to his current role in 2019, Fisher joined Ogilvy to boost its Unilever global leadership team, with a remit that had a particular focus on the Dove brand. He has also worked across the FMCG giant’s other main brands, including Ponds and Hellmann’s.

Fisher's imminent departure from Ogilvy’s Unilever account follows that of Jo Bacon, previously global client lead for Ogilvy and WPP across Unilever. Bacon joined M&C Saatchi as chief executive (and more recently was promoted to UK group chief executive).

Under Fisher's creative leadership, Unilever’s Dove has produced myriad lauded campaigns, including “Reverse selfie”, “Toxic influence”, “Cost of beauty”, “Courage is beautiful” and “Turn your back”. In addition, Unilever won Creative Marketer of the Year at this year’s Cannes Lions.

Liz Taylor, Ogilvy’s global chief creative officer, said: “Dan embodies the essence of what David Ogilvy called ‘divine discontent’ – always striving to think bigger, go further. His creative vision and meticulous focus on craft have brought to life countless boundary-breaking, culture-shifting, envy-inspiring ideas – ideas that not only drive impact for our clients, but that move our industry forward. He’s the perfect person to lead Ingo into a new era of creative excellence."

Ingo was established in Stockholm in 2011 as a boutique creative shop. It has since extended into other territories, opening a second officer in Hamburg in 2021 and, more recently, an operation in Zurich. Its work – designed to be disruptive and cutting-edge – has included “The Swedish number” for the Swedish Tourist Association, “The moldy Whopper” for Burger King and “Proudly second best” for Ikea.

Patou Nuytemans, chief executive of Ogilvy EMEA, added: "This is an exciting new chapter for Ingo, and I can't think of a better person than Dan to write it. Dan is a creative force whose track record speaks for itself, as proved by his phenomenal work for Dove among others. His passion for pushing creative boundaries aligns perfectly with Ingo’s DNA, and I'm confident that under his leadership, the agency will continue to achieve remarkable things."

Before he joined Ogilvy, Fisher worked at agencies including Leo Burnett, T&Pm (previously The & Partnership) and Adam & Eve/DDB. At the latter shop, he was a deputy executive creative director and part of a team that won several Cannes Grands Prix, for the likes of John Lewis’ “Monty the penguin”. 

Fisher said: “When I first started at Ogilvy, I looked with envy at all the amazing work that was coming out of Ingo and made it my mission to work with them whenever there was an opportunity. To now have the chance to lead them globally is a fantasy come true. I can’t wait to get started."

Ogilvy won Global Network of the Year (Creative/Advertising) at this year’s Campaign Global Agency of the Year Awards.