Essence Appoints Industry Vet Christian Juhl as First CEO, North America

NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwired - Oct 9, 2013) - Essence, a global digital agency, today announced the appointment of Christian Juhl to the new role of Chief Executive Officer, North America, effective October 7. Juhl's arrival at Essence cements the agency's leadership in the region during a period of rapid growth in scale, capabilities and new clients. He will report to Founding Partner and Global CEO Matt Isaacs.

"Christian is a pioneer in the digital advertising space -- boasting a proven track record of delivering smart, strategic solutions for more than a decade. There is no doubt that he will strengthen our North American organization and play a tremendous role in building senior client relationships, driving new business and continuing our positive growth trajectory in the region," said Isaacs. "We are delighted that Christian is joining the Essence team."

Before joining Essence, Juhl served as President, West of Razorfish where he ran four offices across integrated media, creative and technology disciplines. Juhl also managed the national teams in media, business development and marketing at various times during his tenure at Razorfish. With more than a decade at Razorfish, the 2011 Advertising Age "Media Maven" helped clients like Disney, Intel, Microsoft, Best Buy, MillerCoors, and Wells Fargo integrate creative, media and technology programs into their marketing strategies. Juhl was also on the global executive team helping cement Razorfish as the Ad Age A-list agency two years in a row. Prior to Razorfish, Juhl held senior roles at GE Capital.

Since launching U.S. operations in 2010, Essence has seen strong growth in the region, culminating in the diverse and growing client base the agency supports today. With a global team of 350 people across London, New York, Seattle, San Francisco and Singapore, Essence delivers industry-leading digital programs for some of the world's most sophisticated marketers including Google, Walgreens and eBay. Juhl arrives to lead the North American team, propel it to new heights and make Essence's vision of defining a new category in agency services a reality.

"The independent culture and focus on digital at Essence makes them a leader in this industry," said Juhl. "They are defining next generation digital marketing every day for the best brands in the world. I am excited to be part of this team and look forward to doing amazing work with great people and clients."

In addition, Richard Mooney will be elevated to oversee North American operations as COO, North America. Mooney will work closely with Mark Nancarrow, Global CFO and COO to align processes across all regions and promote operational excellence across Essence's platforms and services.

"As COO, North America, I'm looking forward to scaling operations across all of our offices in the region and internationally," said Mooney. "With the rapid growth we've experienced in the past few years I've been incredibly focused on promoting operational excellence and bringing the best of Essence to the region, and I will continue to do that alongside Christian and our leadership team."

About Essence
Essence is a digital agency based in London, New York, San Francisco, Seattle and Singapore that delivers strategy, media, mobile, creative, and social solutions globally. They are the digital agency of record for sophisticated clients such as eBay, Walgreens and Google, clients that are at the leading edge of the digital marketplace. It's their unique challenges that inspire Essence to go beyond traditional marketing approaches, mixing cutting-edge technology (often their own) with shrewd business brains and inventive creativity. For more information please visit www.essencedigital.com