Grey Promotes Agnes Fischer to US CEO as Samira Ansari Joins as US CCO

Photo, left to right; Agnes and Samira

Grey has named Agnes Fischer as its new US CEO and appointed Samira Ansari as US chief creative officer, bringing the agency’s New York and Cincinnati studios under a single US leadership structure.

Agnes, who most recently served as CEO of Grey New York, will now oversee the agency’s US operations, reporting to Laurent Ezekiel, who was recently appointed global CEO of the Ogilvy Group. Samira joins Grey from Ogilvy New York, where she spent the past two years as chief creative officer of the fellow WPP network’s flagship office.

Agnes has led Grey New York since January, during which time the agency expanded its client roster with wins including Mary Kay and The Almond Board of California, and delivered an Angel Soft Super Bowl spot for Georgia-Pacific. Her career spans more than 20 years, with leadership roles at BBH USA, Droga5 and Anomaly, and work for brands including P&G, JPMorgan Chase, Google and The New York Times’ Truth campaign.

“Working with Samira is a masterclass in creativity, leadership, and bringing big ideas to life,” said Agnes. “She represents modern thinking and ways of working, leads with ideas that are social at their core, leans into AI as an enabler, and generally represents the future of creativity. Samira has already had an incredible impact on our teams working with our sister agency at Ogilvy New York, and I’m confident she’ll take our Grey US studios to new heights.”

Samira will now shape Grey’s creative vision across its US studios. At Ogilvy New York, she helped secure $40 million in new business and led work that earned significant global recognition, including ranking the office among the top three creative agencies at Cannes Lions 2024. During her tenure, Coca-Cola won its first Cannes Grand Prix in a decade for ‘Recycle Me’, while Nestlé’s San Pellegrino picked up its first-ever Lion for ‘With Love, Italy’.

Her body of work also includes the Sports Emmy-winning ‘McEnroe vs. McEnroe’ for Michelob Ultra, as well as the Michelob Ultra Courtside collaboration with the NBA and Microsoft, created during her time working with Grey’s global CCO, Gabriel Schmitt, at FCB.

“My time at Ogilvy has been career-defining, and I’ll miss the brilliant humans who made every day magic,” added Samira. “But heading to Grey feels like a true homecoming. I grew up creatively in those halls during the Tor Myhren era, and the place still hums in my memory. Now I get to return and partner with the trailblazer Agnes Fischer and my friend and former boss, Gabriel Schmitt; one of the most wildly prolific creative leaders I’ve ever worked with. I’m looking forward to building momentum, growth, and making famously effective work for our clients. As Gabriel would say… LET’S GOOOOOOO!”

Gabriel Schmitt said the move reunites a long-standing creative partnership. “Bringing Sami back to Grey is more than a move; it's like getting the band back together. She was my very first hire as when I became co-CCO at FCB NY and there she led some of the most famous work in the world. Sami is a creative force, a new business magnet, and someone who understands Grey's DNA from her earlier days here. With Agnes and Sami at the helm, this team is built deliver for our clients and help further shape the future of our industry.”

Laurent Ezekiel added that the appointments reflect the strength of leadership across the wider Ogilvy Group and WPP network. “These appointments truly underscore the strength of talent we cultivate across Ogilvy Group whether at Ogilvy, Grey, David, Ingo, thjnk or the broader WPP network. We are committed to fostering environments where exceptional leaders like Agnes and Sami can step into expanded roles, driving significant impact for our clients and our agencies. Grey has had an excellent run and I have immense confidence in the partnership between Agnes and Sami, and I'm excited to see the Famously Effective ideas they deliver together.”

In their new roles, Fischer and Ansari will work to align Grey’s client, creative and strategy teams across the US, with a focus on integrated delivery across shopper marketing, UX, design and the full consumer journey.