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Wieden + Kennedy Portland President Jason White is leaving the agency.
White returned to the agency in 2023 following the death of Dan Wieden, who cofounded the agency and created Nike’s iconic “Just Do It” campaign. He had previously worked for W + K from 2005 to 2011, serving as managing director of W+K Shanghai before his departure. His resume includes more recent roles at Curaleaf, Paramount and Fanatics.
“I came back to Wieden + Kennedy Portland to help us all through the transition of Dan’s passing,” White said in a statement published by Ad Age, which reported the news Thursday. “It has been one of my greatest honors to serve in that role. I’ll miss this place but I leave so proud of what we’ve accomplished and ready for the next adventure.”
Wieden+Kennedy was founded in 1982 with just one client: an Oregon-based athletic shoe company called Nike. The agency became known for creative, often edgy ads meant to give their clients an aura of cool rather than offer a straightforward pitch for the product. (Wieden wasn’t shy to admit that the slogan “Just Do It” came directly from the mouth of serial killer Gary Gilmore, right before he was killed by a Utah firing squad.)
By 2024, the firm had grown to a $50 billion company and had offices in Amsterdam, New York, Tokyo, London, Shanghai, Delhi and Mumbai. But it has also struggled in recent years, laying off 90 workers from its Portland headquarters in February 2024, a cut that threw 20% of its Portland staff out of work.
It was not clear from initial reporting where White is headed.
WW has reached out to W+K for comment.
