Tony Houghton is returning to Leo Burnett.

The former chairman, chief executive officer and chief creative officer of Leo Burnett, Toronto, is leaving Hal Riney and Partners to take over the new position of president and managing director, Leo Burnett U.S.A.

Houghton, who, during 17 years here as creative director of Ogilvy & Mather and later Burnett became one of the most prominent figures in Canadian advertising, left Toronto in 1992 for the high profile job at the Riney agency.

Rumors had been circulating in the Toronto agency community for the past several months that Houghton was not happy in San Francisco and there was mounting speculation that he would be returning east.

Houghton will be based in Chicago. He begins at Burnett Nov. 8.