Ogilvy names Carol Reed as innovation chief

The Ogilvy Group has appointed Carol Reed as Global Chief Innovation Officer, a newly created position focused on developing products, services and business models to expand the agency’s offering and drive client growth.

Reed joins at a time when the network is strengthening partnerships with brands including Major League Soccer, Walmart, Kenvue and Airbnb. She will report to Global CEO Laurent Ezekiel and collaborate with leadership across Ogilvy’s agencies, including Grey, DAVID, INGO and Thjnk, as well as the wider WPP network.

Driving innovation across the network

Laurent Ezekiel, Global CEO, Ogilvy: "Our greatest responsibility at Ogilvy is to uphold and modernize what has always made us exceptional—the power of human intelligence, imagination, and cultural influence—while anticipating the future world in which our clients’ brands will live. Carol Reed is the ideal person to lead this effort. Both for her deep understanding of the technology and commercial landscape, and profound conviction that transformative innovation is always human at its core. I am proud to welcome Carol into this critical role and cannot wait to see the impact she builds."

Liz Taylor, Global Chief Creative Officer, Ogilvy: "Creativity thrives with innovation as its collaborator. Carol brings a rare ability to see where the industry is going and build the infrastructure to get us there first—without ever losing sight of what matters most: the ideas and the people behind them. I am thrilled to welcome her as a champion of Ogilvy’s creative culture and ambition."

Reed will oversee initiatives ranging from platform development and partnerships to capability building and support for new business opportunities. Her remit also includes strengthening collaboration across creative, strategy, data and technology teams, while connecting Ogilvy more closely with WPP’s enterprise platforms such as WPP Open.

Focus on AI and evolving marketing ecosystems

A central part of the role involves advancing how artificial intelligence contributes to marketing outcomes, with an emphasis on supporting creative work rather than replacing it. Reed will focus on embedding AI tools and processes that enhance workflows, address operational challenges and support idea-led differentiation across the network.

Her approach reflects broader shifts in the marketing landscape, where sectors such as sports and entertainment play a growing role in shaping brand engagement and consumer relationships.

Carol Reed: "I've spent my career at the intersection of creativity, technology, and commerce, and I've never been more excited about what's possible than I am right now. Ogilvy has something that no algorithm can replicate: a vast legacy of culture-changing, business-driving ideas. My job is to build the new products, platforms, and partnerships that amplify that impact—catalyzing Ogilvy’s relentless spirit of innovation to make creative possibilities more expansive and human talent more extraordinary. I am deeply honored to be building that future alongside Laurent, Liz, and the entire network."

Experience across marketing and technology

Reed joins from WPP Open X, where she led global advisory on AI, data and innovation programmes for The Coca-Cola Company. She brings more than two decades of experience spanning digital marketing and advertising technology.

Earlier in her career, Reed held a senior data strategy role within WPP, contributing to the development of data platforms used across the group’s media and technology operations. She also spent 15 years at Publicis Groupe, where she established an in-house programmatic media team and expanded ad operations into a global media technology function.

www.ogilvy.com

Follow Marketing Report on LinkedIn