NEW YORK: Edelman’s corporate communications EVP Derek Creevey is joining global executive recruitment firm CTPartners as its first CMO.
Creevey steps into the role next week and will report to CTPartners CEO Brian Sullivan. He could not immediately comment on how many staffers he will directly oversee.
"CTPartners is growing very fast in the double digits," he said. "I will be helping them to continue that growth organically and globally."
One major factor that attracted Creevey to CTPartners is how accountable and transparent the company is about what it does and how it does it – a characteristic he noted is rare among executive recruitment firms.
Creevey has worked at Edelman since 2001, when he joined the firm as director of marketing. He later became chief of staff and moved into the position of chief administrative officer in 2009. Creevey took on his most recent role at Edelman in 2011. He left the firm on Friday.
Edelman will not be replacing Creevey; his clients will now be managed by various staffers at the firm, he said.
A representative from Edelman was not immediately available for further comment.
"Edelman has been good to me and I had the privilege of helping grow it into one of the world’s largest firms, but I wanted a chance to be at a smaller, more nimble firm," explained Creevey. "I am much happier when I am actually executing the work."
This is the latest in a string of executive departures at Edelman. Last month, Allison+Partners nabbed Jen Graves, former VP of US business development at Edelman, for the newly created role of SVP of marketing and business development. In July, Allison hired another Edelman exec, former EVP Corey Martin, to serve as MD of the consumer practice.
Robin Kim also left Edelman in late October to join Ruder Finn as EVP and MD in San Francisco.
Prior to Edelman, Creevey served as director of marketing for Ogilvy Public Relations.
This story was updated on December 4 with information about Kim.
