Jonathan
Harries
Vice Chairman & Global Chief Creative Officer
Insightful
Don’t spend time worrying about new media and old media. Rather focus on right media and wrong media.
Different
Taught Quantum Creativity at Syracuse University.
Enterprising
During summer vacation at the University of Cape Town launched (unsuccessfully) the first Dog Detective Agency.
As vice chairman and global chief creative officer for Draftfcb, Jonathan provides leadership on all aspects of the agency’s business requiring creative strategy and global execution, including efforts to attract, develop and retain best-in-class talent. He also helps manage key client relationships. As Jonathan likes to point out, creativity and accountability are equally important at Draftfcb.
Back when he was trying to get into the ad business, Jonathan walked into the Foote Cone and Belding office in Johannesburg, South Africa, and offered to work for nothing. “Nonsense,” replied the creative director. “We couldn’t have you work for nothing. We’ll pay you $50 a month.” Realizing that money wasn’t going to be the motivating factor for him, Jonathan threw himself into copywriting and 11 years later ended up as deputy chairman, executive creative director of Grey-Phillips, the largest advertising agency in South Africa.
In 1986, Jonathan immigrated to the States, where he spent two years at Grey Advertising in New York before moving to Leo Burnett in Chicago.
In 1990, Hal Riney offered Jonathan the opportunity to try to revive its $12 million Chicago office, which grew, under Jonathan’s guidance, to $185 million. When Jonathan joined FCB Chicago in 1997, he took on a new challenge: leading a 160-person department as executive creative director.
In 2004, Jonathan became the first creative executive to be named CEO of Foote Cone & Belding since its founder, Fairfax Cone. That was in addition to being chairman of the Chicago office and worldwide creative director. He became worldwide chief creative officer for Draftfcb when the agency was formed in 2006.
Through his global travels and insatiable appetite for knowledge, Jonathan has proven himself to be more than a great adman or businessman. He has become known network-wide as a great philosopher and thinker.