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The Shipyard, one of the US's fastest growing independent advertising agencies, has hired ad legend Nigel Carr as chief strategy officer. Recognised for pioneering the strategic planning discipline at Chiat/Day, and kirshenbaum, bond & partners, Nigel joins from Tombras, where he served as chief strategy officer for eight years and helped triple agency revenue.

Nigel will report to CEO Rick Milenthal and lead strategy, brand planning and insights for the agency.

Rick Milenthal, CEO at The Shipyard comments, “We grow our client’s business with superior strategy and insights. And that is why we pursued the best strategic leader in our industry. Nigel is a tremendous talent, passionate about finding the differentiating white space for brands across practically every category. His expertise in strategy, planning, and insights will be invaluable as we continue our growth trajectory.”

At The Shipyard, that growth trajectory has been explosive, with a string of recent new business wins in the past 12 months, including AOR assignments for Prestige Consumer Healthcare (22 consumer brands), San Diego Zoo, American Freight, San Francisco Ballet, and Snowbird, a Utah ski resort.

All told, The Shipyard has recorded 150% growth in four years, making it one of the country’s fastest growing agencies.

Says Nigel, “I’m thrilled to be joining the talented team at The Shipyard, whose superpower is 'Engineering Brand Love.' This resonates with me deeply as analytics, empathy, insights and storytelling are so integral to inspiring work that creates brand love and drives business success. I look forward to contributing to the agency's already impressive momentum.”

Nigel succeeds David Grzelak who will continue to lead strategic growth initiatives for the agency. 

“I want to thank David Grzelak for his dedicated partnership and leadership as our co-founding partner,” says Rick. “Going forward, David will continue to focus on leading strategic growth initiatives for The Shipyard as we announce more details on these ambitions over the coming months.”