Susan Credle, 45, has been named the new Chief Creative Officer at Leo Burnett. She assumes the post on October 5th, after 22 years at BBDO/New York.
Credle graduated from University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill before taking a receptionist position at BBDO. Lewis Lazare of Chicago Sun Times portrays her career path in a Peggy Olsen-like arc.
She started out as a receptionist, and because her energy and interest in the ad business caught the attention of BBDO executives, she was made a junior copywriter. Credle then worked her way up the ladder.
According to Crain’s Chicago Business, BBDO Chairman and Chief Creative Officer David Lubars said of Burnett, “They should not be fooled by her Southern charm, because it masks an obsessive demand for quality.”
Credle said, “The opportunity to work in an agency that values creativity so highly – and has such aggressive ambitions to be the best in the world – is one that I couldn’t pass up.”