From Strategy to Stewardship: McCann London's New CEO Mel Arrow

There’s something quietly radical about Mel Arrow’s appointment as CEO of McCann London. Not just because she steps into the top job as a strategist—although that’s notable. Not just because she does so as part of a new, untested leadership trio—alongside chief creative officer Emiliano De Pietri and head of strategy Aaron Harridge. And not even because she’s taking the helm of one of the industry’s most storied agencies during a moment of transformation.

What makes this moment truly radical is Arrow herself: fiercely competitive, quietly formidable, and unshakeably committed to doing things her way.

Leadership, Her Way

And it’s radical because she doesn’t see this role as a traditional CEO gig at all. “I’ve never been a CEO, and I’m going to do me,” she says plainly. “I won’t stop being me. I’ll learn and evolve, but I’m not suddenly going to become someone else.”

It’s a sentiment that defines both Arrow’s leadership style and the kind of culture she’s intent on fostering at McCann London. Collaborative. Authentic. Unconstrained by traditional structures.

Arrow made the step up in early June as the agency consolidates its B2B, brand transformation, and social arms into the core advertising business. McCann’s new creative agency offering in London now brings together McCann London, with specialist B2B arm - McCann Enterprise, brand transformation unit McCann Demand, alongside McCann Content Studios, the global end-to-end social, influencer and content capability.

Arrow's appointment comes after a brief but noticeable leadership vacuum—the agency had been without a CEO since Polly McMorrow’s departure at the end of May. The mood inside the agency suggests it was ready - perhaps even hungry - for a new sense of direction. [McMorrow has since set up Ace of Hearts with Richard Brim and Martin Beverley]. This isn’t the first time McCann London has looked to its strategy department for leadership. Back in 2013, Zaid Al-Zaidy was promoted from CSO to CEO after joining from TBWA\London. He left two years later. But Arrow, who joined McCann London in 2023 from BMB, where she rose to CSO after joining in 2019, brings a distinct and dynamic momentum. She is part of a freshly minted leadership trio that includes CCO and global creative partner De Pietri and Harridge, who will be taking on more strategic responsibilities across London’s client roster. All new internal hires within months, entrusted with shaping the next chapter of the agency.

Acutely aware that she, Aaron and Emi aren’t yet a known entity, Arrow she sees that as a galvanising force, not a vulnerability.

“It’s our three best people against any other three. And I back us. I really do. We’ve formed now, and now we prove it.”

And the proof, she knows, will come in the work. In client trust. In creative impact. In a culture that attracts ambitious talent. And in “banging briefs,” as she puts it.

So how will she measure success?

“One KPI would definitely be employee satisfaction. People knowing what McCann is about, why they want to be here, and enjoying it.”

She’s already been hosting 'listening breakfasts' every three weeks, asking people what’s working, what’s not, and what they’d change. Her leadership is informed by those voices - and is unafraid of the reality they reflect.

“There was so much change, and no CEO. People needed to feel listened to. So I listened.”

It’s not the loudest kind of leadership. But it’s the kind that sticks.

The Non-Binary Strategist

Arrow has long rejected the neat boxes that agencies often put talent into. “Strategist by title, but always a bit "blendy'," she says of her own career path. “I’ve been allowed to be a bit more plural.”

Having worked closely with CEOs like McMorrow and BMB's Jason Cobbold, she says she was given early exposure to the commercial and operational heart of agency life. Arrow also credits a series of creative leaders who let her get close to the work itself. That experience—stepping outside the planner’s traditional remit—has prepared her for this moment.

“As a strategist, I was never someone who disappeared into a dark room for three days and came back with ‘the answer.’ My approach has always been collaborative, taking clients on the journey, curating the right people around the problem.”

And now, as CEO, she sees those same skills, curation, collaboration, clarity as core to the job. “That’s the art of good strategy. And that’s also the art of good leadership.”

A New Era of Collaboration

Arrow talks often about “the work and the people.” For her, everything else flows from those two pillars.

“When we did the town hall the other week, I said I’m really about two things: the work and the people. That’s it. I’ve only ever been in this industry for those two things.”

And the recent unification of McCann Content Studios, McCann Demand and McCann Enterprise into a single McCann London entity is not just a structural shift—it’s an opportunity to reimagine the culture.

Everyone may already “feel like a McCann person,” she says, but this moment invites collective authorship. “What is our new, combined culture? I feel really strongly that one of the first initiatives we need to get off the ground is making sure creativity is the beating heart of everything we do.”

She’s wasting no time. Her first internal initiative, 'Thought Sandwich,' is designed to bring outside-in thinking into the building. “It’s going to be on Thursdays at the end of the day—a bookend to the week. We’ll share work more proudly. Bring in external speakers. Talk about what brands can learn from culture, gaming, football, whatever. It’s about proactively bringing the outside world of creativity into the agency.”

Truth Well Told, Told Differently

Arrow may be reshaping McCann London, but she’s doing so with deep respect for the agency’s heritage. She’s clear that her job isn’t to reinvent for reinvention’s sake.

“'Truth Well Told', as a former strategist, it’s the best kind of agency positioning. Finding a truth and telling it well is the core fundamental that joins us, regardless of your specialism or what client you work on.”

She references a quote from BBH’s Nigel Bogle: “Move it on, not move it off.” That’s how she sees her role—keeping the agency at pace with the zeitgeist, but staying rooted in what’s always worked. [She has also previously worked at BBH].

And what’s working, right now, is McCann’s expansive definition of creativity. “Think about our biggest creative hits recently: a documentary about a gamer, a Deadpool-shaped Xbox controller, Reef Protection Factor. That’s not just advertising—it’s brand building in the broadest sense.”

She bristles at the idea of narrowing down the agency’s creative identity to a single house style or discipline. “There’s no single shape of creativity. Whatever it takes to build brands. That’s the point.”

The type of leader who sets the tone by letting others bring their full selves into the mix, too.

Her full-length interview is below. It has been edited for the purpose of clarity.

In Conversation With Mel Arrow

Creative Salon:
Let’s start with the obvious question. You’ve moved from a planning role into a leadership role. How will that define your perspective on leadership, the business, and on creativity?

Mel Arrow: One thing to say is that I’ve been lucky to work with CEOs like Polly McMorrow, Jason Cobbold, and others who really allowed me to get close to the running of the business, the decision-making, the numbers, and to build my own strong client relationships. Big up to them, because I haven’t always stayed in my lane as a strategist. I’ve been allowed to be a bit more plural in how I’ve built my career.

I’ve also had CCOs and ECDs who’ve let me get close to the creative. So professionally, I’ve always been a bit non-binary. Strategist by title, but always a bit blendy. And that’s stood me in good stead for this role. I’ve built strong client relationships based on trust and on really understanding their business. My ability to be a genuine partner, and to offer solid consultancy on their brands and business, is going to be one of my superpowers as a CEO. As a strategist, I was never someone who disappeared into a dark room for three days and came back with 'the answer'. Of course, you need to have a bit of that in your locker, but my approach has always been collaborative. Taking clients on the journey, working closely with the creative director on the brief and the solution, curating the right people around the problem.

That’s a core skill for a CEO too: collaboration, taking people with you, building the right team around a task. That’s what I’ve always done in the pursuit of great work and pitch wins. The other thing is simplicity and clarity. Taking complexity and boiling it down into something simple and clear is the art of good strategy. And also the art of good leadership. There’s so much complexity in our industry, especially now. Being able to distil that into something motivating and stable is essential.

You touched on collaboration — it also came through strongly in the press release, especially when you talked about Aaron and Emi. Can you say a bit more about your philosophy on collaboration—both internally and with clients?

When we announced my new role and the coming together of McCann agencies a few weeks ago, I told our McCanners I’m really about two things: the work and the people. That’s it. I’ve only ever been in this industry for those two things.

I believe in the power of creativity to solve business challenges and build brands, and people’s ability to get to those ideas. I’ve always loved collaborating with others in our industry. Our leadership team at McCann London right now, Aaron, Emi and me, is three people who are brilliant individually, but who aren’t afraid to blend. Of course, I’ve got a strong point of view on strategy and creativity. But Emi has a strong perspective on culture, and Aaron has one on the work. The interesting thing is what we create when we overlap. I don’t believe in rigidly staying in our lanes. It’s the alchemy, the sum of the parts, that’s powerful.

That’s true of our client relationships too. We’re really lucky at McCann London to have some incredibly strong partnerships built on trust and collaboration. We’ve worked with Xbox for 11 years, and we’re doing some of our best work for them now. There’s a genuine blend between their team and ours. We’re an extension of their marketing team. We get upstream with them, we understand where the business is heading and their five-year plan. That kind of trust and collaboration is delivering amazing results.

What does day one of the new McCann London look like—and what are you hoping to signal with it?

Our first day as new McCann in London is 30 July. We have tons of plans for how to make that a really fun and exciting day for everyone, and I just think that that will genuinely feel like a new kind of chapter and a new start. And from there, we build the confidence and momentum.

You’ve spoken about your two key pillars being people and the work. Each of the McCann London units that have now come together were successful in their own right. How do you maintain the cultures and keep people motivated through this new chapter?

Even if you’ve been working in McCann Content Studios, McCann Enterprise, or McCann Demand, now all rolled into McCann London, everyone knows and feels like they work for McCann. And McCann does a really good job of knowing who it is. It’s been around for a long time. Strong brand, strong principles, strong values.

'Truth Well Told' — which we talk about a lot — is, especially as a former strategist, the best kind of agency positioning. It’s so core and fundamental and can be applied to anything, whether you’re working with a creator on a content format or talking to PwC about a B2B recruitment campaign. Finding a truth and then telling it well is the core fundamental that joins us, regardless of your specialism or what client you work on.

I talk about this old BBH line a lot. I think it was Nigel Bogle who talked about “moving it on, not moving it off”. Anyone who’s leading McCann knows the job is to move the brand on — to keep it at pace with the landscape, client needs, the zeitgeist — but certainly not move it off. We don’t need to. We’re not a startup. We’re starting from a wealth of brilliant things that have served us well for over 100 years.

Everyone feels like a McCann person, knows what McCann stands for, but there’s also a collective effort in building this new McCann London culture together. As the agency’s new CEO, it’s been really interesting to see the people running towards that — saying, "I want to be part of making it, I want more responsibility." The vast majority are doing that. There are also people who I equally respect who are saying, "I’ve got a job to do. I want to keep the creative product at a high standard. I’m head down, working." And that’s great too. But we have to bring everyone on the same, united journey. One of the things I said in our agency meeting I referenced before — and I really meant it — was that we’re going to do us in this new chapter. We’re going to do McCann London in this chapter. All I’m asking everyone to do is: do you. That’s all I can do. I’ve never been a CEO, and I’m going to do me. I’m not suddenly going to become someone else. I’ll learn and evolve, but I won’t stop being me. And I want everyone to bring their whole self to this new entity.

There’s lots of good McCann stuff to lean into, but there are also areas where things are up for grabs. What is our new, combined culture? I feel really strongly that one of the first things we need to reinforce is making sure creativity is the beating heart of everything we do. That might sound obvious, we’re a creative agency, but we have to consciously centre it. Especially given the broad church that brands have become — creators are brands, football teams are brands. And McCann is a brand-building agency.

Tell us more about your 'Thought Sandwich' initiative. What are you hoping to achieve?

I want to bring in the full breadth of what brands are. I want to bring people into the agency to talk about it and dissect it. It’s called Thought Sandwich, it’s going to be on Thursdays at the end of the day, a bookend to the working week. Every week we’ll be sharing work from across McCann London — I want to know what you’re doing in Beats, in social, in Xbox, in Just Eat. I want us to share our work more proudly and openly.

We’ll also bring in external speakers for inspiration. The first one is a friend of a friend — a women’s football pundit — coming to talk about what brands can learn from the Euros and the changing culture of the game. Then we’ve got someone from SEGA coming in to talk about the new frontiers of gaming. It’s about making sure we’re consciously and proactively bringing the outside world of creativity and brands into the agency.

Do you have a positioning in mind for the new McCann London? Something that reflects you, rather than just inheriting what came before?

The truth is, it would be a bit arrogant to come in day one and go, "It’s this." With everyone coming together, I want to sit back a bit, observe, and work out what’s organically forming.

But one thing I love about McCann London, especially the new combined entity, is that there’s no house-style. No one medium we overly excel in. We do brand building in the broadest sense of any agency I’ve worked at.

Think about our biggest creative hits recently: a documentary about a gamer and a football team, a bespoke controller shaped like Deadpool’s butt, Reef Protection Factor (a sun cream that nourishes coral). That last one started as a product and is now turning into a certification that we’re trying to get other sun cream brands to use. That’s not just advertising, that’s a creative idea, a brand idea, a product idea. A solution to a global problem.

So my vision is definitely no singular shape of creativity. Whatever it takes to build brands, and 'Truth Well Told' gives us that permission, something with Harjot [Singh], our global CSO, has spearheaded within our network with such enthusiasm and talent. As long as you have the insight, the truth, how you tell it can be expansive. Especially now, when people are skipping ads, blocking ads, and ignoring ads. My parents, not just Gen Z, record everything so they can skip the ads. And their daughter works in advertising!

But that’s the world we’re in. I love advertising, but the tide is turning. And we’re ahead of the curve in finding new ways to earn attention. We’re in the business of building brands — and however we do that best, we’ll do it.

One of my proudest moments creatively since joining McCann was seeing Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman hold the Xbox Cheeky Controller and talk about it. You couldn’t script that in an ad. His genuine reaction and instinctive love for it — that’s as impactful as any spot. And more than just the executions, I love the brand platforms we’ve built: 'Did Somebody Say Just Eat?', 'Because You’re Worth It' for L’Oreal, 'Priceless' for MasterCard. We’re proud to have given them something enduring. That’s something we do exceptionally well here.

You, Emi and Aaron are new as a leadership trio — and not a known entity, yet. Do you feel the pressure of that, especially in such a storied agency brand like McCann London?

Just to address that first, whether I’m worried that people don’t know us as a trio, there’s this one message stuck with me. The message was from a piece on the WPP/GroupM acquisition of The&Partnership, where Nils Leonard posted on LinkedIn saying, “At the end of the day, it’s your three best people against their three best.”

I’ve really taken that to heart. Because yes, as McCann London, it’s our three best people against any other three. And I back us. I really do.

We don’t have a profile yet, and I think we have to earn it. We’re newly formed, but now we prove it. Do I back us in a room, just us three against any other three? Absolutely. It comes down to what you say in a room, how you engender trust, how you excite people. That’s the real leveler.

Do you think this new leadership structure and direction will attract a new kind of client?

Yes, and already is. Emi brings real global thinking. That’s a strength in this market, especially when working with brands like Peroni Nastro Azzurro or Xbox. Lots of global clients choose London as a hub, and having someone who really knows different cultures and markets is a real advantage.

Aaron’s journey through strategy has also been amazing. He’s worked in New York, at R/GA and Droga5. He’s got a really cultural-first and digital-first approach. He’s not a traditional ad planner. He’s always been at the intersection of culture and strategy. Honestly — and I probably shouldn’t say this out loud — he’s the best strategist I’ve ever hired. His speed and clarity on a brief are extraordinary. He’s also played a key role in integrating McCann Content Studios into the main agency. It means we can genuinely build brands through social — not just jump on trends reactively. He bridges the gap between Priceless and Because You’re Worth It and all those big brand turns, with social and cultural relevance.

We’re all pluralists in different ways, and I think that’s refreshing — for clients and for the kind of agency we want to be.

Finally, in a year’s time — what does success look like for you?

There’s a lot of change on the horizon. But the role of our agency CEO is to embrace that change. I recently wrote for another industry title about being a “Chief Change Officer” — not being in denial, but translating change into something positive for your people.

One KPI would definitely be employee satisfaction. People knowing what McCann is about, why they want to be here — and enjoying it. Even before I started as CEO, I’d set up listening breakfasts every three weeks. A random mix of people, asking three questions: what’s working, what’s not, and what one thing would you change if you were in charge? The agency was crying out for leadership. There was so much change, and no CEO. People needed to feel listened to. So I listened.

One consistent thing people said was working: "banging briefs". That’s a direct quote from a creative. “Doesn’t matter what’s changing — you can always guarantee you’ll get a banging brief at McCann London.” That’s it. Big brands. Household names. Brands people want to work on. That’s what we do.

So in a year, I’d love for people to still say that — and feel proud. I want the creative quality to remain high. Nothing’s broken, but we can build on it. And yes — I’m incredibly competitive. I love pitching. I’d like to win some pitches, too.