GUT Miami Appoints Carmen Rodriguez to MD and Hires Joselyn Bickford
Today, global independent creative agency GUT announces it has named global chief client officer & partner Carmen Rodriguez to managing director, and has appointed Joselyn Bickford to head of account management, both firsts for the agency’s Miami office. In addition to becoming managing director, Carmen will continue in her current role as the agency’s global chief client officer and partner. These appointments signal the agency’s growth within its team, revenue and business ventures, and bolsters its Account management department, where 73% identify as minorities.
“Carmen has always shared the same dream that Gaston and I had when we set out to build GUT, which was, and still is, to become one of the most diverse, creative, and influential independent agency networks in the world,” said GUT’s co-founder and creative chairman Anselmo Ramos. “As our global chief client officer and partner, Carmen has been crucial in helping us cultivate our culture across the Network, especially in our Miami office, as well as building long-standing and deep relationships with our clients; ultimately, she is someone who embodies who we are at the core. We always say that the managing director of each of our offices is someone who is the soul of the agency, so we couldn’t think of anyone better and more suited for this position than Carmen. She’s the one who will continue helping us lead GUT even closer to our dreams, and she knows we’ll always be supporting her and trusting her every step of the way.”
A career champion for women and other minority communities, in her role as global chief client officer and partner since 2019, Rodriguez has successfully led GUT Miami’s account management department while spearheading the agency’s new business efforts and DE&I initiatives alongside the agency’s founders. Additionally, she helped grow the Miami office’s revenue growth in 2021 by 35% thanks to its recent new client wins, including Michelob Ultra, Activision Blizzard, GetYourGuide and Lyft, while working closely with all of GUT’s AORs, including Popeyes and Kraft Heinz. She also was integral in helping GUT win its first-ever Super Bowl spot opportunity with Google for #BeSeenOnPixel, starring Lizzo and directed by Joshua Kissi.
“Working with this team and with our clients is a dream come true, and I’m able to do what I love thanks to everyone I work with every day, both in Miami and across our Network,” said Carmen. “I feel very privileged to be able to continue to make a difference in my new role, especially in our headquarters, which will inevitably impact all our global offices for the better. This position is also much bigger than me and GUT; it’s an absolute honour to be a female leader in our industry, and my goal in this position is to create tangible change for our female and non-binary talent, including continuing to advocate for more mentorship opportunities and DE&I initiatives that are well overdue in our industry, across the board.”
To continue strengthening its leadership team and account management department, GUT also has welcomed Joselyn Bickford as its first head of account management. Joselyn is responsible for leading GUT Miami’s roster of accounts, as well as supporting the agency’s new business efforts alongside Carmen.
“It’s exciting to join at this stage of company growth where it feels like the things I’ve learned on my journey will help us foster even stronger client partnerships, while putting our people first,” said Joselyn. “What drew me to GUT initially was the agency’s work and thought-provoking perspectives on creativity and agency-client relationships. And as I get to know the team, I hope to help our account management department show up every day with bravery, pride and enthusiasm for their vital role in how we uncover brand opportunities and manifest gutsy ideas into the world.”
A 20-plus year creative account management veteran, Joeslyn has shepherded many of her clients from brand strategy to campaign launch and beyond with work fuelled by strategic creativity, effectiveness and momentum. She has directed initiatives for Wieden+Kennedy, 72&Sunny, CP+B, BSSP and others. Most recently, Joselyn led the YouTube TV Super Bowl Pre-Show campaign and Marcus by Goldman Sachs’ You Can Money campaign. During her 13-year tenure at CP+B, she served as the VP, Group Account Director on the American Airlines and INFINITI accounts, and led efforts for Activision, the Ad Council, the American Heart Association, American Express OPEN, Fruit of the Loom, Jose Cuervo and Old Navy.
Within its account management department, GUT Miami also recently promoted Monique Beauchamp Estrella from account director to group account director; Carolina Foster from managing supervisor to account director; Veronica Perez from senior account executive to account supervisor; and Claire Golden transitioned from project manager to account executive. Across the agency, GUT Miami also promoted Tierney Riccitelli from junior strategist to strategist; Alex Le Cras from junior producer to producer; and Valentina Perez from finance analyst to senior finance analyst. Lastly, on its leadership team, Dawn Astley was promoted from head of operations to head of talent & operations, which she oversees in the US.
