Wieden+Kennedy is officially open for business in Mexico. The agency has hired Jessica Apellaniz as executive creative director and Pablo de Arteaga as managing director to lead W+K Mexico which has a growing client roster that includes Ford Motor Company.
Mexico City is W+K’s 10th global and first native Spanish–speaking office. W+K Mexico will offer clients and talent in Latin America and beyond access to the agency’s expertise in using creativity to transform brands, impact culture, and make change in the world. The move is part of W+K’s growing presence in Latin America–the agency has an office in São Paulo, Brazil, and will soon open an outpost in Argentina. Andre Gustavo and Felipe Ribeiro, W+K São Paulo’s president and chief creative officer leadership team, have been leading the expansion efforts across LATAM.
“Opening W+K Mexico is really exciting and important to the work we do for global clients,” said W+K São Paulo president Gustavo. “There is so much creative opportunity in Mexico, and in the region, and we have big plans–there is no one better than Jessica and Pablo to lead them.”
Apellaniz comes to W+K Mexico after a very successful stint at Ogilvy as chief creative officer for Latin America. During her time there, she created standout creative work for Coca-Cola, BP, Mazda, Aeromexico, Nestlé, AB InBev and American Express, among others. As CCO, she built tailor-made, local, and global multidisciplinary teams, leading to her work being recognized as among the best in the world by various award shows including Cannes Lions, D&AD, and the One Show. With Apellaniz at the creative helm, the agency won the first D&AD Pencil for Mexico and the first Cannes Lions for Honduras and Bolivia; Ogilvy Latin America was also named regional network of the year by Cannes Lions in 2022.
“Jessica is an awesome creative, impressive brand-builder and exceptional leader,” said Ribeiro. “She has led super interesting work and successful teams across disciplines and countries. We are still pinching ourselves that she is part of W+K. And Pablo is the perfect partner to drive the kind of growth we have our eye on, with existing and new partners.”
“At W+K Mexico, we’re aiming to create a space for Spanish-speaking creatives in Latin America to experiment, fail harder, and ultimately shine. We look forward to fostering an environment and culture where people feel free to be themselves and create ‘el mejor trabajo de sus vidas,’” said W+K Mexico ECD Apellaniz. “On a personal level, joining Wieden+Kennedy and opening a new office in Mexico with Pablo’s wonderful partnership and the support of the entire network is a complete dream.”
Brazilian-Uruguayan de Arteaga joins W+K Mexico with a unique combination of creativity, entrepreneurial spirit, and tech expertise. Throughout his 25-plus-year career, de Arteaga has held senior executive positions at Leo Burnett Worldwide, BBH London, BBH São Paulo (LatAm), and AFRICA in Brazil. During his time at Leo Burnett São Paulo, he helped transform the agency to achieve unprecedented growth and rank globally among the most awarded agencies. As CEO of Leo Burnett México, he led the successful merger with Olabuenaga Chemistry, delivering solid creative results for clients such as AB Inbev, P&G, GM, Kellogg’s, and Samsung. In recent years, de Arteaga has immersed himself in the consulting and tech world, leading IBM iX in Mexico, investing in AdTech companies, and sitting as a lead partner of Pipeline Capital, one of the most recognized Tech M&A Advisory firms in Latin America.
“Mexico is uniquely positioned with diverse talent, a renewed creative ambition, and strong business momentum,” said W+K Mexico managing director de Arteaga. “We are thrilled to open Wieden+Kennedy Mexico, have the opportunity to capture the vibrant energy and culture here, and create transformative ideas for our clients’ businesses.”
In addition to standing offices in the United States, Brazil, Europe, Asia, and now Mexico, W+K has begun to further expand its global presence across Latin America and Asia. With the global expansion of accounts like AB InBev, Samsung, Ford, and McDonald’s, the growth of Bodega (W+K’s creative social studio), and the addition of new clients, W+K continues to evolve its client relationships and tap into more shared talent across the network to bring an international perspective to its work.
