INVNT appoints James Nicholas Kinney as Global Chief AI Officer

Innovation-led global brand storytelling agency, INVNT, announced the appointment of James Nicholas Kinney as its first Global Chief AI Officer. This is a role designed to bring new AI-powered solutions directly to clients while expanding the agency’s AI ecosystem and strengthening its data, insights, and tooling infrastructure.

In establishing this role, INVNT is accelerating the integration of AI across every department and division at the agency — from strategy and creative to production, and operations — building the internal systems, data lakes, and intelligent capabilities that will shape the next generation of experience and brand engagement.

Kinney brings a professional profile defined by AI certifications from MIT, Carnegie Mellon, and Wharton – the program led by LinkedIn cofounder Reid Hoffman. Blending extensive experience as a Global Chief People Officer with deep technological fluency, he has centered his career on people, culture, talent, and large-scale AI evolution. His leadership background spans .Monks, part of S4Capital, and Ogilvy, as well as shaping people-first cultures at Giant Spoon and Mother.

Scott Cullather, Chairman and Chief Growth Officer, INVNT: “ Adding a Global Chief AI Officer to our leadership team marks the next step in that evolution for our clients, our agency and the industry at large. James is uniquely qualified for this role, one of the foremost minds in AI-enabled organizational design with a rare blend of HR leadership, agency experience, and advanced AI training. He understands how humans and machines can coexist to drive meaningful progress, from operational maximalism to predictive analytics and client-forward solutions. His leadership will accelerate INVNT’s future as the best-in-class experience agency enhanced by AI.”

Over the last 17 years, INVNT has partnered with the world’s leading brands such as Microsoft, Xero, Lamborghini, and COP28 to merge bold creativity with state-of-the-art innovation, positioning the agency at the forefront of next-generation, AI-driven brand storytelling.

Kinney will be responsible for leading client-facing AI innovation, helping global brands scale their experiences and campaigns through intelligent machine learning, and driving new business opportunities grounded in AI-powered transformation. He will report directly to Scott Cullather, Chairman and Chief Growth Officer of INVNT.

Kristina McCoobery, CEO, INVNT: “INVNT has always believed in building what comes next. From AI-powered product launches to immersive global experiences and campaigns, we’ve proven that storytelling and technology elevate each other in extraordinary ways. James will partner across all our divisions and regions, to strengthen INVNT’s AI operations, create greater efficiencies, and expand the agency’s data, tooling, and automation ecosystem leading our efforts to scale that vision across every corner of the business, touching every client experience, ultimately supercharging the creative solutions we develop for our clients”.

James Nicholas Kinney, Global Chief AI Officer: “INVNT is an innovation led brand story agency full of high performers. We dream big and build boldly. My role is to bring AI into that ethos, to create greater impact for our clients and drive operational acceleration for our employees around the world. We will enable global cultural alignment with clear language, shared understanding, and unified execution.”

www.invnt.com

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