GS&P has appointed Sarah Thompson as its first chief executive officer. Thompson began her career as an account manager at the agency but earned her reputation as an industry leader as a key architect of Droga5, guiding it through international expansion, multiple Agency of the Year and many Agency of the Decade wins. Over the course of 17 years, she helped build, scale, and eventually sell the agency to Accenture.

Following Droga5’s acquisition in 2019, she was promoted to lead global communications and content at Accenture Song, where she oversaw more than 5,000 people across the company’s creative, media, and content agencies.

“What drew me to GS&P is their courage–their commitment to big ideas, their openness to evolve, and their belief that creativity can drive business and impact culture,” Thompson stated. “This is a company that has stood the test of time because it works with integrity, adapts without fear, and truly believes that anything is possible.”

Thompson recently co-founded The HT40 Foundation and The Shoulder Check Initiative, a nonprofit focused on youth mental health that has gained national momentum, and serves as chair of FundamentalCo, a private equity-focused strategy consultancy founded by Jonny Bauer that partners with GS&P on select growth-stage projects.

Her new position reunites her with GS&P chief creative officer, Margaret Johnson. She will be based in New York and will work with an expanded leadership team led by its founders Jeff Goodby and Rich Silverstein; chief strategy officer, Christine Chen; managing partner, Brian McPherson; chief growth officer, Cory Berger; head of inclusion and impact, Dr Jennifer Gomes; head of people, Jill Sammons and new leadership team in New York – executive creative directors, Eamonn Dixon and Stefan Copiz; managing director, Tom Powers; and deputy director of brand strategy, Katie Coane.

“Sarah has a rare ability to rally people around a shared ambition, growing client businesses through creativity,” stated Goodby. “She also knows how to nurture a creative powerhouse without losing its soul. Under her leadership, her agencies have always delivered bold, modern work at global scale.”

“Sarah shares our DNA and our belief that creativity can solve any problem,” added Silverstein. “We couldn’t be happier about having her lead us.”