Bill Kolb
Bill Kolb was named Chairman & CEO of McCann Worldgroup in October, 2020, and assumed his duties as leader of the network in January, 2021.
One of McCann Worldgroup’s most experienced multiplatform and global marketing executives, Bill has spent his career building brands and businesses from the ground up. Appointed Chief Operating Officer in 2020, Bill was responsible for overseeing business operations across McCann Worldgroup, including all agencies and markets.
In his previous role as Global President, Bill fostered overall growth and integration amongst all McCann Worldgroup diversified agencies – strengthening key practice areas and disciplines, including technology and innovation, health and data analytics. In addition, he continues to be a driving force for the network’s dedicated General Motors (GM) agency, Commonwealth//McCann, as the Chairman and CEO.
Bill’s long and successful history within McCann spans over two decades, where he worked across regions and agencies, including Momentum, MRM and McCann, holding many top-level roles from CFO to CEO. He has worked with both large and entrepreneurial companies, and with multinational clients including GM, Microsoft, Coca-Cola, Merck and Anheuser-Busch. And his leadership has been integral to the continuing development and expansion of McCann Health.
His vision has led both Commonwealth//McCann and MRM to great success. In 2019, Commonwealth//McCann was named a Supplier of the Year by GM during its 27th annual Supplier of the Year Awards. And for three consecutive years, Commonwealth//McCann’s work on behalf of Chevrolet has earned the brand a spot on the Effie Effectiveness Index – currently Chevrolet is No. 6 on the Most Effective Brands list.
In 2020, for the first time, five MRM agencies were named in WARC’s top 40 effective digital agencies listing, as part of WARC’s global Effective 100 ranking. MRM has been recognized with some of the industry’s highest accolades, including being designated for four consecutive years (2017, 2018, 2019, 2020) as a “Leader” in Gartner Inc.’s Magic Quadrant for Global Marketing Agencies. The agency was named Ad Age’s B-to-B Agency of the Year in 2018 and as the Top Large Agency of the Year at the Digital Analytics Association’s Quanties.
His career prior to McCann includes time spent in the publishing, finance, real estate and oil industries.
Bill’s success is driven by taking risks and breaking new ground that makes clients, competitors and the industry stand up and take notice. His vision is inspirational, and that inspiration is contagious. It’s why the agencies he leads have continued to flourish under his stewardship.
