Rich Stoddart
Chief Executive Officer of Leo Burnett North America
Not long after joining Leo Burnett in 1985, Rich Stoddart knew why he loved working in advertising: “No other field, I realized, calls for such a unique combination of business analysis, the study of human behavior and the insatiable desire to be creative and forward-thinking.”
Twenty years later, following stops at Fallon and on the client side at Ford Motor Company, Rich returned to Leo Burnett as President, North America, to bring these elements together and create ideas that “wake people up and have an impact on the world.”
He quickly set about strengthening the leadership team, attracting new talent, uniting Leo Burnett and marketing-services arm Arc Worldwide — and infusing the agency with his infectious, focused energy and belief that creativity is the most powerful force in the universe.
The result: today, Rich leads and inspires a growing agency that is delivering groundbreaking, results-oriented work to longtime and new clients alike.