By Audrey Kemp

Copyright adweek

Global digital agency Dept is expanding its U.S. leadership team as it prepares to open a New York headquarters in early 2026, ADWEEK has learned.

The agency, backed by private equity firm The Carlyle Group, has named Sam Lewis, former CEO of WPP’s T&P, as SVP of creative & media in the Americas. Lewis’ remit covers half of Dept’s regional revenue, and he joins at a moment when the agency is reporting double-digit growth compared to the same time last year. Headcount has risen more modestly, with DEPT’s U.S. team growing between 5% and 6% year-over-year, out of a global workforce of more than 4,000 employees.

“The modern marketing landscape requires more integrated services, whether creative and media or engineering and experience,” Lewis told ADWEEK. “Dept is uniquely placed with a workforce that’s half creative expertise and half engineers to take advantage of that.”

Alongside Lewis, Dept has brought on several senior leaders from rival agencies. Angela Seits, formerly managing director of strategy and insights at PMG, joins as vice president of strategy. Eric Druckenmiller, who previously held leadership roles at Edelman and Anomaly, also joins as vice president of strategy. And Greer Oliver, who oversaw the global Google account at R/GA, has been hired as vice president, client partner.

Carryn Quibell, CEO of Dept Americas, said the agency’s growth is being fueled by a mix of new and expanded accounts, including Snap, Arcadis, and OneDigital, alongside long-term transformation projects for what he called “one of the best known AI companies in the world” and “one of the largest professional services companies in the world,” though she declined to name those clients.

Quibell emphasized that the agency’s strategy is centered on selling integrated solutions rather than piecemeal capabilities.

“We’re selling business solutions that are going to drive business impact,” she said. “We’re not the size of the holdco, but we have this weird juxtaposition of scale, where we are a global agency and can take on the biggest companies in the world. But we’re also not so big that we can’t move fast.”

That integrated approach is reflected in the type of work Dept has been winning. While recent wins are not structured as traditional global AOR assignments, Quibell described them as long-term, multidisciplinary, integrated engagements. She said roughly 90% of new business is integrated across multiple disciplines, spanning creative, media, data, and technology.

The agency is also preparing to expand its physical footprint with the opening of a New York headquarters in February 2026. “We really need a beachhead in New York,” Lewis said. “We want to make sure it’s interactive and immersive, reflective of our brand, but also a place for partners, clients, and media.”

Quibell added that Dept’s latest hires were chosen for their ability to think strategically across disciplines and help lead the agency’s next phase of growth. “Modern brands need modern agencies,” she said. “We truly believe they’ll be built by combining the best talent with the best technology.”