Mother Unveils New Global Leadership As It Nears 30 Years

Mother has overhauled its global leadership team ahead of its 30th anniversary. Felix Richter, previously chief creative officer of Mother London, has been named global chief creative officer. Teri Miller takes on the dual roles of U.S. chief executive officer and global chief client officer. Katie Mackay-Sinclair, who was a partner at Mother London, assumes the role of global chief brand officer, and Chris Gallery, also a former partner at Mother London, has been appointed global chief strategy officer. The four will continue their existing responsibilities—Richter leading Mother London’s creative output, Miller overseeing U.S. operations, and Mackay-Sinclair and Gallery shaping strategy and brand vision—while joining global CEO Michael Wall and founder Robert Saville in leading Mother’s creative and strategic direction across offices in London, New York, Los Angeles, Berlin and Shanghai. “This is a world-class team, and they are proven and high-quality practitioners for Mother," Wall said in a statement. Richter, who joined Mother London in 2022 as CCO and global creative partner after more than a decade at Droga5, has led the agency to major accolades, including ADWEEK's International Agency of the Year in 2024. Under his leadership, the agency has produced acclaimed work for Uber, KFC, and IKEA. His new post marks the first time in Mother’s history that the agency has had a global creative lead. In the role, he will collaborate with the CCOs across Mother’s offices while continuing to oversee London’s creative output. Richter noted that the creation of a global CCO role formalizes a natural shift toward increased global collaboration across Mother's offices in London, New York, Los Angeles, Berlin, and Shanghai over the past few years. "We are finding that our most exciting new business wins, and the most exciting work that comes out, are often the results of collaboration between offices of all different shapes and sizes,” Richter told ADWEEK. Miller, meanwhile, will take the helm on leading Mother’s expansion in North America after Mother U.S. CEO Peter Ravailhe announced his departure last week. Since joining in 2022 from 72andSunny, where she served as president, Miller has played a key role in securing major clients for Mother including Electronic Arts, General Motors, BlackRock and General Mills. Mackay-Sinclair and Gallery, both longtime strategists at Mother, will shape the agency’s global brand and strategic vision. Both have been instrumental in Mother London’s success, including leading work that earned a UK Effie Grand Prix for IKEA’s sustained success. The leadership restructuring comes as Mother continues to expand its client portfolio. Recent wins include General Motors adding Mother LA to its roster, Sonic retaining Mother as its lead creative agency, and Seventh Generation naming Mother New York its agency of record. The agency has also picked up assignments for Duolingo and General Mills. As independent agencies gain momentum as an alternative to holding companies, Mother sees an opportunity to double down on its positioning as a global independent. “It feels like the time is ours,” Mackay-Sinclair told ADWEEK. “When we look at the context of our industry, there are mergers, there’s collapsing of big, established creative brands.” In Mackay-Sinclair’s telling, it’s the agency’s longevity that sets it apart: “There might be a lot of indies out there, but you’re not really an indie unless you've been doing it for the long haul… We are lucky to be sitting here thinking, ‘What do the next 30 years of Mother look like?’"

Agencies

Mother Revamps Global Leadership Ahead of 30th Anniversary

Katie Mackay-Sinclair, Chris Gallery, Felix Richter, and Teri Miller take on expanded global roles

Audrey Kemp

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