VML is reshaping its North American leadership bench, naming Jason Xenopoulos CEO of its New York office while elevating longtime creative leader Mel Routhier to North America chief creative officer, the agency told ADWEEK. The appointments are effective immediately.
The moves mark VML’s first major U.S. executive appointments of 2026 and follow a period of leadership transition in New York after the departure of Beth Ann Kaminkow and the retirement of Audrey Melofchik last year.
Xenopoulos will take on a dual role as CEO of VML New York and chief creative officer for global accounts, overseeing the agency’s flagship office while continuing to lead creative work for major multinational clients including Ford and Colgate.
For Xenopoulos, the combined remit reflects a long-held belief that creative leadership and business leadership shouldn’t be separated. He previously led VMLY&R’s New York office from 2018 to 2021 and most recently served as U.S. co-chief creative officer following the merger of VMLY&R and Wunderman Thompson.
“I’ve always thought of agencies as creative companies,” Xenopoulos told ADWEEK. “You can do one or two pieces of great creative work by just rolling up your sleeves and diving into the brief, but in order to do great creative work consistently and repeatedly, you have to build a truly creative company.”
Xenopoulos, who previously served as North America CCO at VML alongside Tom Murphy and has led the Ford account globally, said the timing of the dual role makes sense as agencies navigate rapid technological disruption and shifting client expectations.
“I think it’s even more vital that we keep that creative spirit at the heart of what the agency is today as we go through all of the technological changes around us,” he said.
VML New York, he added, is being positioned as more than just a large U.S. office. Xenopoulos outlined five priorities for the office this year: capability, creativity, growth, innovation, and culture.
“New York has an opportunity to really spearhead the future of VML, and in many ways, the future of the industry,” he said.
That includes pushing the agency’s breadth of offerings—spanning creative, experience design, commerce, and technology—while continuing to invest in creative ideas, even as performance marketing and AI-driven efficiency dominate more client conversations.
Alongside Xenopoulos’ appointment, VML promoted Routhier to North America chief creative officer, where she will partner with Tom Murphy to oversee creative across the region. Routhier joined VML during the pandemic to help build the Walgreens Boots Alliance business globally and later led the Chicago office, most recently holding senior creative leadership roles across both VML’s health practice and its global creative organization.
“I feel like I’m just joining a friend and working on a bigger stage to collectively kind of bear hug North America and help elevate the work,” Routhier said.
Creative leadership responsibilities will be split largely by geography, with Murphy focused on New York and the East Coast and Routhier overseeing the Midwest through the West, while global accounts cut across both leaders’ teams.
Routhier’s immediate focus is on presence and continuity rather than disruption. “I hope they just feel my presence first—as a human,” she said. “I lead with a lot of empathy. I lead with the mentality of ‘hire incredible people, then get out of the way.’”
She also addressed how VML’s “human-first” creative philosophy fits into a moment when AI tools are becoming more embedded in agency workflows. “Human-first doesn’t mean in the absence of technology,” Routhier said. “It just reminds us that people are the heartbeat of it all. The ideas come from people, and we make sure all those people sit at the center of it.”
The leadership changes come as WPP continues to reorganize parts of its global production and technology infrastructure, including the recent consolidation of production operations into WPP Production.
According to Routhier, the shift wouldn’t dilute creative craft or creative-production partnerships. “There’s no change in our commitment to craft and how we make great ideas,” she said.
Both leaders emphasized stability and collaboration following the New York leadership transition. Xenopoulos called Routhier “the right person” to step into the North America role, adding: “I honestly couldn’t think of anyone better. She has my full support and trust.”