NEW YORK, September 3, 2025 – Edelman has named Kate Stanners as Chief Creative Officer, International. In this newly created role, Stanners will be charged with overseeing Edelman’s creative business and community across international markets. She will partner with teams throughout the network to ensure the firm delivers industry-leading, cutting-edge creative that is impactful and drives cultural and business change. Her appointment underscores Edelman’s continued investment in creative leadership and its earned-first approach to global brand storytelling. Stanners will report to Judy John, Global Chief Creative Officer, and Ed Williams, President, International.
“We are doubling down on creative while others in the sector are moving in the opposite direction,” said Richard Edelman, CEO, Edelman. “Kate is one of the most formidable creative leaders in the industry, and I’m thrilled to finally welcome her to Edelman after trying to recruit her for many years. This is a moment in time for Edelman to emerge as a creative powerhouse—we believe in creative based on action and our deep understanding of Earned Creative in the Creator Economy. Our position at the intersection of brand and reputation makes us uniquely equipped to lead the industry forward.”
A distinguished and highly decorated creative leader, Stanners joins Edelman after more than two decades at Saatchi & Saatchi, where she most recently served as Global Chief Creative Officer and Global Chair. Throughout her tenure there, she held multiple leadership roles, including Chair and Executive Creative Director, leading creativity for global and regional clients such as HSBC, Visa, T-Mobile and P&G. Stanners is an award-winning industry leader recognized with multiple Cannes Lions for her work. She served as President of D&AD from 2019 to 2020 and sits on councils for AB InBev Europe and The Kraft Heinz Company. Stanners has also served as a committee member for the Victoria & Albert Museum and is a co-founder of St. Luke’s in London.
“Earned media has become such a powerful tool in a brand’s communications armory, building community, conversation, and connection in impactful ways,” said Stanners. “There’s a freedom that comes when you truly unleash the unreasonable power of creativity on real business problems. I look forward to collaborating with Edelman’s talented teams across the network to build work that not only stands out but makes a difference.”
“We’re at a cultural inflection point where brand, media and culture are colliding in new and unpredictable ways,” said Judy John, Global Chief Creative Officer, Edelman. “This is exactly when creativity matters most—when ideas need to break through the noise, earn attention, and drive action. Kate’s appointment reinforces our commitment to building bold, earned-first work that drives conversation and makes an impact.”
Stanners is an award-winning industry leader recognized with multiple Cannes Lions for her work on global brands such as T-Mobile, Visa, and P&G. She served as President of D&AD from 2019 to 2020 and sits on councils for AB InBev Europe and The Kraft Heinz Company. She has served as a committee member for the Victoria & Albert Museum and is a co-founder of St. Luke’s in London.
Last year marked a breakthrough year for Edelman’s creative reputation. The firm won 16 Cannes Lions, including a historic Titanium Lion for DP World’s The Move to Minus 15, a first for a PR agency. Additional honors included four Gold Lions, six Silver, and five Bronze for standout earned-first campaigns like Dove’s Code My Crown, IKEA’s SHT, Heineken’s Bar Experience, and Sanofi’s Allegra Airways. And the firm continued that momentum in 2025 with 9 Cannes Lions including one Gold, for Progresso’s Soup Drops, four Silver and four Bronze.
