Observed Signal · Feb 16, 2026 · Hiring · Source: Adweek · Impact: 1/5 · Sentiment: Positive
Lerma Appoints First Chief Strategy Officer, Strengthens Leadership
Dallas-based agency Lerma has appointed Omar Quiñones as its first chief strategy officer, marking the culmination of a recent leadership hiring phase that shifts the company away from a flat structure toward a formalized C-suite. Quiñones joins from Messianu/Edelman/Lerma (MEL) and has prior senior strategy experience at Anomaly, CP+B and YETI. Lerma recently also installed Paco Conde as its inaugural chief creative officer (in October) and Josh Archer as chief data and innovation officer (the month before Quiñones’ hire). The hires signal Lerma’s intent to expand strategic capabilities and institutionalize executive roles.
Company-level leadership hires at a single independent agency; limited industry-wide impact beyond organizational structure changes.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- Lerma appointed Omar Quiñones as its first chief strategy officer.
- Omar Quiñones previously served as chief strategy officer at Messianu/Edelman/Lerma (MEL).
- Quiñones has held senior strategy roles at Anomaly, CP+B and YETI.
- Lerma earlier named Paco Conde as inaugural chief creative officer and Josh Archer as chief data and innovation officer.
Connected Companies & Entities
1 Entity mappedRelated Market Signals & Shifts
Recent verified developments and strategic activity across this market segment.
Omnicom Forms Lola USA, Absorbing Two Agencies
Omnicom is consolidating New York-based agencies 180 and adam&eveDDB NY into a newly launched U.S. arm of the Lola brand called Lola USA. Operating from New York and Los Angeles, Lola USA will be led by CEO Agathe Guerrier and chief creative officer JD Jurentkuff. Senior leadership appointments include Elliott Bastien (head of strategy), Laura Cona (chief growth officer), Devon Hay (managing director), Caroline Jackson (chief client officer) and Margaret Coleman (head of account management). The move is part of Omnicom’s broader network streamlining following its acquisition of IPG and earlier retirements of legacy agency brands such as DDB, FCB and MullenLowe.
Broadsign Hires Manuel Ameneiros for LATAM OOH Role
Broadsign has appointed Manuel Ameneiros as Head of Latin America (LATAM) Media Sales & Service, based in Mexico City. The newly created role will expand Broadsign’s regional presence, support customers and partners across LATAM, and drive growth as programmatic digital out-of-home (pDOOH) adoption increases. Ameneiros joins Broadsign with more than a decade of experience in the LATAM advertising ecosystem, most recently serving as chief commercial officer at OLA Media and previously holding roles at Retargetly and Boletia. Broadsign executives said the hire aims to help media owners and buyers navigate the shift toward more automated, data-driven OOH buys and integrate OOH into omnichannel campaigns.
Shobha Sairam Joins McCann to Elevate Strategic Vision
McCann New York has appointed Shobha Sairam as chief strategy officer as the agency looks to strengthen strategic capabilities following its acquisition by Omnicom in November. Sairam previously served as executive vice president and chief strategy officer at 22squared and has held CSO or strategy leadership roles at The&Partnership, The Community, Deutsch, Mother and Leo Burnett. At McCann she said she will modernize the strategy function with AI at its core and improve connectivity between brand and social work, describing the future of strategy as a hybrid of human creativity, cultural insight and data intelligence operating at AI speed.
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