Daryl Lee

Daryl Lee is Global CEO of McCann Worldgroup, the global creative network comprised of best-in-class agency brands McCann, MRM, Momentum Worldwide, CRAFT and FutureBrand. Prior to joining Worldgroup, Daryl served as global CEO of IPG Mediabrands, where he set the company on a trajectory of strong growth and inspired a culture of innovation and equity.

Throughout his career, Daryl has been a champion of inclusion in media investment, most prominently in the industry’s first “Equity Upfronts,” which Mediabrands introduced in 2020. The agency also led the industry conversation around the importance of Media Responsibility in advertising, with the launch of its Media Responsibility Principles, and a bi-annual report, Media Responsibility Index. Lee was named as a MediaPost All Star in 2022 and the 2022 Cannes Lions Media Jury President. Under his leadership of the Mediabrands network, key agency brands UM, Initiative and Reprise won numerous awards, including multiple “Agency of the Year” honors and the inclusion on “best places to work” lists.

Prior to IPG Mediabrands, Daryl spent nearly seven years as the global CEO of UM, where he revolutionized the agency into an award-winning global powerhouse with a roster of iconic and fast-growing clients. Daryl has built a dynamic record of leadership success across both the media and creative agency landscapes because he expands the capabilities of the companies he leads, inspires agency leadership to focus on the rapidly-evolving needs of clients, delivers growth and innovation and pays great attention to workplace culture, prioritizing an agency’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion in the everyday lives of all its employees. His success at UM led to Adweek naming Daryl “Executive of the Year” in 2016. Ad Age named UM Global Media Agency of the Year in 2016 as well.

Prior to leading UM and Mediabrands, Daryl served as Global Chief Strategy Officer and Global Chief Integration Officer at McCann, the eponymous ad agency network within McCann Worldgroup. Among Daryl’s many successful innovations at McCann was the creation of McCann Truth Central, the agency’s global intelligence unit, whose global studies of consumer culture and behavior are among the most widely read and influential thought leadership platforms in the industry.

Daryl began his career as a consultant at McKinsey in New York before starting his advertising career at Ogilvy where he held senior strategy roles on the IBM business. Daryl graduated with a Doctorate in Philosophy from the University of Oxford, which he attended as a Rhodes Scholar.

Daryl is a vocal champion for positive social change, diversity and equity in the world and the workplace, and currently sits on the board of Strive and the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) and is a former board member of GLAAD. Daryl is also on the Board of Directors of Effie Worldwide.