NEW YORK—Edelman has named Christoph Becker as its first-ever global chair of Integration, effective July 1. Becker, a 35-year veteran of the advertising and marketing industry, will help drive integration across the network’s full array of offerings including Creative, Data & Intelligence (DxI), Digital and Strategic Planning to enhance how clients already benefit from Edelman’s capabilities. Becker will be based in New York and report to Richard Edelman, CEO of Edelman.
“We have assembled all the strategic elements to make Edelman the communications agency of the future,” said Edelman. “Our new approach of trust driving growth requires all aspects of Edelman working together to deliver integrated and relevant solutions for clients in a fast, targeted and measurable manner. The blend of brand and corporate expertise uniquely positions us to serve all stakeholders. Christoph’s global experience and ability to integrate diverse groups of talent make him a perfect fit for this role.”
Becker joins Edelman from gyro, a global creative agency he co-founded 12 years ago and most recently served as CEO and chief creative officer. He helped turn gyro into one of the largest and most successful business-to-business agencies in the world. At gyro, Becker worked with many of the world’s most innovative brands and companies, including Aflac, DANONE, American Express, eBay, Google, HP, Facebook, Fujitsu, Fuji Transamerica, JLL and Vodafone. He also led gyro’s acquisition and integration process into dentsu.
Prior to gyro, Becker was chairman and chief creative officer at FCB New York. At FCB he helped move the agency into the digital space integrating its on and offline marketing disciplines while designing and implementing an operational process that allowed creative, media and strategy across capabilities to act and create as one team. Under his leadership FCB New York produced award winning work for Oreo, Diet Coke, MetLife, Beiersdorf and Samsung.
“We are living in a great epoch of endless possibilities that requires a new spirit and approach to marketing and communications that can fill the trust void between society and companies,” said Becker. “There is no one better situated to rewrite the modern book of marketing than Edelman. It owns the science of Trust and creative storytelling and has all of the essential elements in place. Ease of access and fluid connectivity to all the capabilities will benefit both clients and Edelman colleagues. I’m extremely inspired to be part of this journey.”
Before FCB, Becker was at Bozell in LATAM and prior to that he worked for Young & Rubicam/Tapsa in Madrid.
Becker has been a speaker and presenter at Fortune Brainstorm, Cannes Lions, CES, Forbes CMO Summit and Advertising Week New York and LATAM. He has also served as a judge at nearly every major creative award show including Cannes Lions, D&AD, Effie Awards, Spikes Asia and Dubai Lynx. gyro was named global B2B agency of the year by the ANA four years straight and global B2B Agency of the Year by Advertising Age in 2016.
Becker holds a degree in Advertising and PR from the University of San Pablo in Madrid. He is a board member and overseer at International Rescue Committee, a global NGO founded by Albert Einstein, and serves on the board at World Connect. In 2018 he was inducted into the Association of National Advertisers B2B Hall of Fame.