A story of friendship and a natural
transition
PARIS, Feb. 28,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- DDB Paris announces the
elevation of globally acclaimed CCO Alexander Kalchev and Paul
Ducré as new CEOs, together assuming the role of current CEO
Jean-Luc Bravi who will become
Chairman, DDB France. The pair have worked together in close
partnership with Bravi for the last 20 years and will continue
to catapult DDB Paris into global creative agency powerhouse.
"To me, appointing Alexander and Paul as CEOs of DDB Paris is
the natural choice. These two highly competitive team players
embody the core values that define the strength of our
agency--they're 'both Nice and Talented'. Having worked closely
with Alexander and Paul for nearly 20 years, this transition is the
next logical step," says Jean-Luc
Bravi.
This appointment marks the start of a new chapter in a story of
friendship that began at DDB in 2007. It reflects the close
collaboration between a creative and an account executive, who grew
up together with a belief in DDB's principles and became a force
that propelled DDB Paris towards continuous growth and creative
acclaim in France and abroad.
"Great creative work has always been our obsession. It remains
the most powerful tool for driving our clients' businesses growth.
We are both driven by the shared ambition to continue evolving our
creative product by recruiting the finest pool of talent, and
ensuring that DDB continues being the home for the next
creative generation," explain Alexander and Paul.
With their combined international experience, they aim to
elevate DDB's global reach even further. "Today, Paris stands as a creative powerhouse
alongside cities like London and
Amsterdam, becoming a primary hub
for international brands," says Alexander
Kalchev.
Their relentless commitment to creative excellence is rooted in
the ethos of Doyle, Dane and Bernbach and remains as relevant
today as it was 75 years ago.
"Paul and Alexander are the epitome of true DDB leadership:
They know the business, listen to clients, understand their issues
and importantly harness the creativity of their teams to devise
innovative and emotionally resonant solutions. DDB Paris and our
clients are in safe and brave hands," says Glen Lomas global
president and chief operating officer of DDB Worldwide.
Jean-Luc Bravi, current CEO of DDB Paris, will actively
continue to serve the business in a key leadership role as newly
appointed Chairman of DDB France.
BIOS:
Alexander
Kalchev
Educated at the Miami Ad School in
Hamburg, Alexander Kalchev joined DDB Paris in 2007 right
out of school. He quickly made a name for himself, becoming one of
Creativity Magazine's "Creatives to Know" ranking and receiving the
ADC Young Guns award, which celebrates the top creatives worldwide
under the age of 30.
In 2013, he was appointed creative director, and at just 30
years old, in 2015, he became the youngest Chief Creative Officer
in the history of the agency.
Since then, Alexander has been at the heart of the business and
creative development of DDB, building a stellar creative department
that has won numerous awards at all major festivals. Under his
leadership, the agency has garnered international renown and has
been celebrated several times in France as Agency of the Year.
Paul Ducré
A Breton by adoption and a graduate of
INSEEC Paris, Paul Ducré began his career in 2005 as an account
executive at DDB Paris. He gained experience working with
organizations known for their creative work (Nike, Greenpeace,
L'Équipe) and large multinational corporations (Unilever, Henkel
and Johnson & Johnson). In January
2012, he joined DDB Singapore with the mission of developing
the portfolio of international brands for the APAC region. As
Global Business Director, he played a role in securing a number of
contracts with the Unilever Group (Dove, Wall's, Sunsilk,
Lifebouy).
Returning to DDB Paris in 2015, Paul resumed the position of
Deputy Managing Director in charge of New Business. In 3 years, the
agency grew exponentially, winning numerous French and
international accounts. In 2018, Paul took over as Managing
Director of DDB Paris, overseeing the agency's key accounts:
McDonald's, Volkswagen Group and Royal
Canin. He has been instrumental in the agency's digital
transformation and growth.
ABOUT DDB WORLDWIDE:
DDB Worldwide (www.ddb.com) is one of the world's largest and most
influential advertising and marketing networks which includes DDB
branded agencies, along with adam&eveDDB (London, Berlin, New
York), DM9 and Africa (both
in Brazil), alma (Miami), Mango, Track and Rodgers Townsend. DDB
has been awarded numerous accolades from the industry's
leading awards shows including 2023 Global Network of the Year by
the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, D&AD
Agency Network of the Year for three consecutive years 2023, 2022,
2021, and Effies US Agency of the Year in 2022 and 2023. WARC has
listed DDB as one of the Top 3 Global Networks for 12 of the last
15 years. The network's clients include MARS, McDonald's,
Molson Coors, Volkswagen, Reynolds
Consumer Products, Peloton, JetBlue, Adidas, Lucozade, CALM,
PlayStation, Marmite, Waitrose & Partners, and the U.S. Army,
among others. Founded in 1949, DDB is part of Omnicom (NYSE: OMC)
and consists of over 8,000 employees across 140 offices in over 60
countries, with its headquarters in New York, NY.
CONTACT:
Donna Tobin, Global Chief Marketing
& Communications Officer, DDB Worldwide
press@ddb.com
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SOURCE DDB Worldwide