Arnold Appoints Marc Blanchard as EVP, Head of Experience Design

Creative agency Arnold Worldwide have named Marc Blanchard as EVP, head of experience design, effective immediately.

In this role, Marc will work with Arnold’s leadership team and Havas CX global leadership to build on existing success and enhance the agency’s customer experience offering across its portfolio of clients, including Progressive Insurance, PNC Bank, ADP, and De Beers. Marc will report to Arnold CEO George Sargent.

“We’re thrilled to welcome Marc into the fold at Arnold,” said George Sargent, CEO of Arnold Worldwide. “CMOs today are under pressure to deliver cohesive — often personalised — experiences across channels, ensuring that innovation, experience, and brand all work in concert to drive growth. Marc brings the vision and craft to meet that challenge, and his leadership will help take our experience design offering to the next level.”

Marc brings 25 years of experience designing digital products and experiences for global brands. Most recently, Marc served as chief experience officer at Bounteous, a global digital transformation consultancy, where he led the design practice and helped codify the firm’s co-innovation method combining Agile, Lean, and Design Thinking. Marc returns to the Havas network where he previously spent 18 years leading the agency’s global experience design engagement with IBM, serving as a founding partner of IBM’s marketing innovation studio, and helping to establish a service offering to help brands tap into the power of emerging AI technologies.

“Brands need to be crystal clear about the promises they make, and even clearer about how they keep them,” said Marc. “That’s what builds trust, fuels long-term brand reputation, and drives customer lifetime value. But it takes more than good intentions; it takes deep customer insight and the courage to align an entire organisation around a customer-first North Star. Arnold has a proven ability to make it safe for brands to be brave, and I’m excited to join this exceptional team to continue to extend that mission across the entire customer journey.”

An experience designer by trade, Marc's work has been recognised by numerous awards including the Clios, London International, and The One Show. Marc has also judged Cannes Lions, the Clios, London International, and the Webbies, and has taught design innovation at Columbia University, NYU, and San Francisco State University. He is a frequent speaker at industry events including C2 Montreal and serves on the board of Experience Futures, a social impact incubator that helps purpose-driven organisations create sustainable and inclusive technology products.