Edelman appoints Kate Stanners, Saatchi & Saatchi veteran, as Chief Creative Officer International, underscoring its pivot to creative leadership and earned creativity across global markets.
Edelman has elevated creativity from a department to a strategic axis by naming Kate Stanners, a 20‑year Saatchi & Saatchi veteran, as its first Chief Creative Officer, International. The move signals a deliberate shift towards “earned‑first” creative leadership at a moment when many in the PR and marketing world are tightening belts.
Kate Stanners, Chief Creative Officer International, Edelman
Stanners inherits a remit that spans the firm's creative output and community across international markets. She now sits between brand storytelling and reputation-building, reporting to Edelman’s global CCO, Judy John, and International president, Ed Williams.
This isn’t just a title upgrade, it’s a signal that Edelman sees creativity not as a service but as central to business outcomes.
Stanners' departure marks a blow for Saatchi & Saatchi and its parent, Publicis. Losing a globally decorated creative (D&AD President, Cannes Lions winner) isn’t trivial. And for Edelman, this is a high‑return hire after “trying to recruit her for many years.” Edelman pitches itself at the cultural inflection point where brand, media and culture collide unpredictably. Its lens? Earned media as the tool that builds community, not just noise.