Zulu Alpha Kilo has solidified what it is calling a “powerhouse” creative leadership group, hiring Brian Murray as its new executive creative director.

The new position is one Zulu has been looking to fill for the last year. Last February, the agency hired ECD Wain Choi, which founder and CCO Zak Mroueh said at the time was, in part, to help spread out the leadership of its roster of creative directors, in addition to adding to Zulu’s existing creative pedigree.

Murray, who starts at Zulu today, and Choi will lead the creative group alongside Mroueh, head of design Stephanie Yung (whom the agency hired in December) and creative operations director Christina Hill.

Murray was most recently at Ogilvy, which he joined as CCO in 2017 before leaving at the end of 2020, and he has also had senior roles at Doug & Partners and Cundari. His notable work includes the “MPowered Performance” series for BMW, as well as an ongoing purpose-focused platform for Hellmann’s and Dove’s “Courage is Beautiful” campaign developed during a “creative renaissance” he helped lead during his time at Ogilvy. He also has an MBA from the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management.

“What I love about Brian’s work is it’s smart, creative and for real brands,” said Mroueh, who has made attempts to hire Murray in the past. “There’s substance to his creativity and there’s a business purpose behind the ideas.”

Back at Ogilvy, the agency recently hired Meg Farquhar as ECD in Toronto, taking a spot on its national leadership team.