Advertising agency McKinney, which became part of Korea-based Cheil last summer, is opening a new office in New York City and absorbing a Chiel USA operation based there.
To lead the office, McKinney hired Peter Nicholson, an advertising executive who worked most recently at JWT New York and at Redscout. He will serve as executive creative director, McKinney said in its announcement Friday.
Also managing the office with Nicholson will be two Cheil USA executives who now are part of the McKinney operation. They are Alex Van Gestel, the managing director, and Yusuf Chuku, head of strategic services.
Last July, McKinney was bought by Chiel, an international firm, in a deal estimated to be worth $50 million.
“Our partnership with Cheil Worldwide has exceeded every expectation since we agreed to play a central role in the reinvention of the global network,” said Brad Brinegar , chairman and CEO of McKinney. “With Cheil’s support, we are thrilled to expand McKinney to New York. We expect to create a very collaborative and fluid operation combining the talents and resources of one great agency with two front doors.”
