Callison LLC’s Leigh Dennis joins Cheil Worldwide

Cheil Worldwide has appointed Leigh Dennis as global VP brand experience & managing director of Mind Design Laboratory (MD Lab). The latter is the Munich-based design house, specialising in the creation of integrated brand experience solutions.

Leigh joins Cheil Worldwide from Callison LLC, an international design agency specialising in retail experience design and delivery, where he was the managing principal of the London and New York offices. Prior to this Leigh spent four years with Starbucks Coffee Company. Following which he founded Ferris & Sloane Architects in 2002, an agency focused on supporting US retailers launch and grow in the EMEA region. This agency was acquired by Callison in 2007.

In his new role, Leigh will report to Michael Kim, global COO, Cheil Worldwide. Talking about the new appointment, Kim said, “Cheil Worldwide is continuing to sharpen its leadership with the appointment of Leigh, and we are very excited about his addition to our worldwide team. Having him on board demonstrates our ongoing commitment to be a truly integrated agency, which encompasses not just traditional advertising but also brand experience and retail/shopper marketing creative and design.”

He added, “Leigh is a results-proven talent and excels in both creative and business, a rare trait in this area. I am confident that under his leadership, Cheil Worldwide will be able to provide even better creative services to existing clients as well as win new accounts.”

On his new work profile, Leigh stated, “I join Cheil Worldwide at a time when convergence of technology, design and lifestyle is evolving daily, to connect with an increasingly sophisticated customer. In a world focused on ‘social/ local/ mobile’, the creation of consistent and relevant brand experiences that educate, delight and inspire, in all channels, on all platforms, is central to increasing ‘brand-width’ and ‘brand velocity’."

Last February, MD Lab had appointed Jordan Waid as executive creative director.