Edelman has appointed Anthony Chelvanathan [pictured above] as its first global creative partner.

Chelvanathan will work alongside global chief creative officer Judy John, and partner with regional CCOs, Global ECDs and client teams.

John tells strategy that, by expanding its senior creative talent into global roles, Edelman can attract and retain talent in every market.

“We just came off our best year ever at Cannes [2024], and more of our clients and new clients are asking us for earned creative ideas that will create relevance in culture and impact for their business,” John says. “Clients are realizing you can’t just PR a campaign or idea and expect it to break through. Earned needs to be part of the idea itself to be inherently social and culturally sticky.”

There is a blurring in the industry between strictly comms and creative agencies, “but we think we approach creativity differently than creative agencies and even other PR agencies,” John says. “At Edelman, we have a philosophy and method to how we create ideas that earn in culture and will drive change for business and society.”

Chelvanathan retains his chief creative officer role for Edelman Canada, John says, because Canada continues to provide the agency with opportunities to create ideas like Ikea’s “Second-Hand Tax (SHT)” campaign, which changed the landscape on double taxation for preowned goods. John also pointed out Edelman Canada’s bold campaign, “Dove Keep the Grey, to fight discrimination against greying.

“Also, Canada is one of our creative hubs where we retain and attract top talent,” John says.