Patrick Bennett Joins Jack Morton as Global Chief Creative Officer

Patrick Bennett has been appointed as the Global Chief Creative Officer at experiential agency Jack Morton, moving from sister agency Momentum.

In his new role at Jack Morton, Bennett will report to Global Co-President Craig Millon, join the executive leadership team and chair the agency’s global Creative Council. His previous position at Momentum will be filled by Bharat Kumar, who returns to the agency after working at Johannes Leonardo and Havas.

Bennett’s transition was supported by key figures including Christine Capelli, Managing Director of Jack Morton’s Boston office, Momentum Worldwide CEO Donnalyn Smith, Interpublic CEO Philippe Krakowsky, and Jack Morton Global Co-Presidents Bill Davies and Millon.

“I hated to lose him. He’s a phenomenal talent and an incredible culture carrier for Momentum,” Smith said. “But I think it’s incredibly selfish as an executive leader to hold on to talent that way, when you know that it is in them to do something bigger. It would never have crossed my mind to try and block him from reaching his goals.”

Channing Martin, Interpublic’s SVP and Chief Diversity and Social Impact Officer, added, “We have to be intentional about identifying opportunities for people when they arise and make sure that we put plans in place to help them get there. IPG doesn’t have one chief diversity officer. We have 54,000, and that’s exactly what Donnalyn did in this situation.”

According to Bennett, the opportunity for Jack Morton to define the next era of experiential marketing is “tremendous.”

“We’ve seen experiential agencies start this transition, about eight or 10 years ago, going more from production shops to idea shops,” Bennett said. “Jack’s really well positioned to put a stake in the ground and say, this is what experiential is, and this is what it means for brands, and this is why we do it for humans.”

In his new position, Bennett aims to define the next era of experiential marketing at Jack Morton, focusing on creating memorable experiences for people that drive brand loyalty and action.

In addition, as one of the few Black chief creative officers in the industry, Bennett will collaborate with Channing Martin to advance DE&I initiatives and support talent of color within the industry.

Read more in Campaign…