DEPT® Welcomes Bernice Chao as CCO Americas

DEPT®, the Growth Invention Company, has named Bernice Chao as chief creative officer for the Americas region. The appointment continues the push to raise the bar on creative craft by bringing in senior leaders who pair bold ideas with the technology to execute them. Bernice will build and lead multidisciplinary creative teams across the region, working with clients including eBay, Coach Logitech, OpenAI and Yum Brands. She will report to Ben Williams, DEPT®'s global chief creative officer.

Bernice built her career at the intersection of creativity, culture and advocacy. As chief creative officer at TDW+Co and in earlier creative leadership roles at R/GA, she's best known for creating ‘Have You Eaten Yet?,’ Panda Express's national brand platform. Bernice is a recipient of the AAF Hall of Achievement and was selected for the Cannes Lions See It Be It programme, among other honours. Her impact extends beyond the brands she builds. She's the founder of Asians in Advertising and co-author of ‘The Visibility Mindset’, has spoken at more than 100 organisations including Harvard, TEDx, and SXSW. She's also an adjunct professor at Loyola Marymount University.

At DEPT®, Bernice will lead award-winning creative work that combines storytelling, cultural insight and emerging capabilities, and scale creative teams to support growth across the company's key client partnerships in the Americas.

"There are very few creative leaders who can move fluently between culture, craft, and technology, and even fewer who've spent their career opening doors for others while doing it. Bernice is one of them. She's the kind of leader teams rally around, and we're thrilled she's helping to build DEPT®'s creative future in the Americas," said Ben Williams, global chief creative officer.

"DEPT® feels like the agency built for this moment," said Bernice. "I've never seen technology and creativity as separate things. The most interesting work happens when they come together, and DEPT® understands that better than anyone. Growing up in Silicon Valley taught me to be endlessly curious about what’s next, and I’m excited to work alongside people who are just as passionate about what’s next."

Bernice's appointment builds on momentum for DEPT®'s creative practice, including Ben Williams' arrival as global chief creative officer. In just over a decade, DEPT® has grown from a local specialist into a global technology and marketing company with 4,000 specialists across 30 offices. Named Webby's Agency of the Year for the fifth consecutive year, DEPT® has emerged as a true challenger to traditional networks. The recent launch of Deptify, DEPT®'s AI orchestration platform, reflects its continued investment in AI-driven growth for clients.