Saatchi & Saatchi global chief creative officer and global chair has left the agency to become chief creative officer, international at Edelman. She leaves two decades at Saatchi behind.
In her new role, Stanners will oversee Edelman’s creative business and community across international markets, and will report to Judy John, global chief creative officer, and Ed Williams, president, International. Her appointment underscores Edelman’s continued investment in creative leadership and its earned-first approach to global brand storytelling.
“We are doubling down on creative while others in the sector are moving in the opposite direction,” stated Richard Edelman, CEO, Edelman in the announcement. “Kate is one of the most formidable creative leaders in the industry, and I’m thrilled to finally welcome her to Edelman after trying to recruit her for many years. This is a moment in time for Edelman to emerge as a creative powerhouse—we believe in creative based on action and our deep understanding of Earned Creative in the Creator Economy. Our position at the intersection of brand and reputation makes us uniquely equipped to lead the industry forward.”
Throughout her time at Saatchi there, Stanners held multiple leadership roles, including chair and executive creative director, leading creativity for global and regional clients such as HSBC, Visa, T-Mobile and P&G. She served as president of D&AD from 2019 to 2020 and sits on councils for AB InBev Europe and The Kraft Heinz Company. She was Film Lions jury president this year at Cannes Lions. Stanners has also served as a committee member for the Victoria & Albert Museum and is a co-founder of St. Luke’s in London. She has won many Cannes Lions for her work on global brands such as T-Mobile, Visa, and P&G.
“Earned media has become such a powerful tool in a brand’s communications armoury, building community, conversation, and connection in impactful ways,” Stanners commented. “There’s a freedom that comes when you truly unleash the unreasonable power of creativity on real business problems. I look forward to collaborating with Edelman’s talented teams across the network to build work that not only stands out but makes a difference.”
“We’re at a cultural inflection point where brand, media and culture are colliding in new and unpredictable ways,” added Judy John. “This is exactly when creativity matters most—when ideas need to break through the noise, earn attention, and drive action. Kate’s appointment reinforces our commitment to building bold, earned-first work that drives conversation and makes an impact.”
2024 was a breakthrough year for Edelman’s creative reputation. The company won 16 Cannes Lions, including a Titanium Lion for DP World’s The Move to Minus 15, a first for a PR agency. Additional honours included four Gold Lions, six Silver, and five Bronze for standout earned-first campaigns like Dove’s Code My Crown, IKEA’s SHT, Heineken’s Bar Experience, and Sanofi’s Allegra Airways. And the firm continued that momentum in 2025 with 9 Cannes Lions including one Gold, for Progresso’s Soup Drops, four Silver and four Bronze. 2025, however, has not been Edelman’s finest with global revenue dropping beneath US$1bn (according to Edelman’s most recent annual report), the slide most marked in the US and APAC regions.
