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BarkleyOKRP has promoted chief creative officer Katy Hornaday to be its new CEO.
Hornaday has been with the Kansas City-based independent agency for over a decade. She succeeds Jeff King, who led BarkleyOKRP for more than 16 years and will transition to the role of founding partner.
“I’m absolutely honored to be the CEO, but I’m even more honored to be surrounded by an incredible leadership team…that are going to help us write this next chapter,” Hornaday told ADWEEK.
Under Hornaday’s creative leadership, BarkleyOKRP has seen significant growth, adding clients such as Planet Fitness, Smoothie King, and Frontier Airlines. In 2018, she launched FUEL, the agency’s digital content studio, which has grown to over 80 employees. Hornaday also played a key role in the 2024 merger between Barkley and OKRP.
In addition to Hornaday’s promotion, Nate Swift, previously chief marketing officer, has been elevated to president. He will oversee the integration of creative, media, and strategic services to ensure cohesive client solutions.
“Nate is really excellent at knowing client business inside and out,” Hornaday said. “He’s the perfect person to lead this integration.
According to King, BarkleyOKRP’s new leadership team will focus on expanding the agency’s “Big Indie” model, which aims to combine the strengths of boutique agencies with the capabilities of large holding companies.
“There aren’t very many of us that have the scale, the media capability, the data analytics, the technology, the sophistication of holding companies, but with all the spirit, soul, creativity, and integrated model of an independent,” King told ADWEEK.
Earlier this year, BarkleyOKRP launched MissionOne Media, a new agency formed by integrating its media practice with Adlucent, the performance marketing tech company it acquired in May 2024. MissionOne Media is led by Sean Corcoran, formerly of MediaHub.
Looking ahead, BarkleyOKRP plans to continue pursuing strategic acquisitions, particularly in performance media, data analytics, CRM, and experience design. The agency is backed by private equity firm Keystone Capital.
