Vice creative shop Virtue appoints new leadership team

Virtue, the creative agency launched from Vice, has promoted Rob Newlan to global president and Krystle Watler to managing director of North America amid a flurry of new client wins and award show recognition.

The shop also hired industry veteran Simon Mogren as executive creative director for North America, overseeing the creative teams across the Brooklyn, Los Angeles and Austin offices.

In the last year, Virtue has brought on 24 new clients in North America and 45 across international markets. The shop also took home a Grand Prix, a Glass Award and seven Lions at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity this June.

Newlan has been with Virtue for two years when he joined the agency as CEO for EMEA, followed by most recently serving as chief executive of the international offices in Asia. Under his leadership, the Asia region has picked up a number of new accounts, including Puma, Pandora, Topshop, Budweiser and Footlocker.

As global president, Newlan – who previously held posts at Diageo, Coca-Cola and Facebook - will be responsible for 21 offices worldwide.

"Virtue’s global potential knows no bounds," said Newlan in a statement. "What we’ve seen the agency and its talent achieve in the past couple of years has been remarkable. From our growing APAC presence, to the fearless creativity in EMEA, to the inspiring portfolio of work from the Americas, I’m truly honored to be leading this team as we continue to build upon this current momentum."

Watler, most recently Virtue’s senior-VP and head of business development in North America, will now handle agency operations across all offices in the U.S. and Canada. During her time at the shop, she’s helped bring on new clients such as Beats by Dre, Indeed, Target, Urban Decay, AT&T and more.

The shop's newly appointed creative leader in North America, Mogren, has worked at the likes of DDB Stockholm, Ogilvy Paris and BBDO New York on accounts including Louis Vuitton, AT&T, Bacardi, PepsiCo, Dove Beauty, Footlocker and Ikea, among others.