Samira Ansari Joins Johannes Leonardo as Group Creative Director

Johannes Leonardo has announced the appointment of Samira Ansari as group creative director. In her new role, Ansari will be tasked with leading creative teams across the agency’s marquee client base, including MassMutual, Amazon, EA Sports, and The Bezos Family Foundation. Ansari will work out of the agency’s headquarters in New York and report directly to founders Jan Jacobs and Leo Premutico. 

“I have known Sami for a long time and have always wanted to work with her,” said Jan, co-founder and chief creative officer at Johannes Leonardo. “Her strategic approach to creativity and her focus on cultivating strong client relationships aligns so well with the calibre of professionalism we strive for at JL. Sami comes at an inflection point in our agency’s growth and we are truly confident that Sami is just the beginning as we continue to empower our people to create the best work of their careers, and help brands impact culture.”

Ansari’s appointment marks another strategic hire for the agency as it continues to deepen its management team. Last year, the company hired its first-ever CFO Bill Afonso from 72&Sunny and head of business development Ben Myers from Droga5. 

“I have been watching Johannes Leonardo from afar and they are really taking off,” said Samira. “The DNA of the agency that has been fashioned by Jan and Leo has allowed them to move at an independent pace and spirit that permits exceptional work. JL’s standards around creativity have always been super high and I am looking forward to cutting my teeth with some of the best creative minds in the industry.”

Ansari brings over two decades of experience driving and fuelling creative ideas to her new role. Prior to Johannes Leonardo, she served as the group creative director at Grey NY where she oversaw the Bose, Pringles, and Marriott accounts globally. Before her tenure at Grey, Ansari was the creative director for JWT New York where she produced the brave and award-winning campaign for U by Kotex that has changed the perception of the female sanitary product market. Over the course of her career, Ansari’s talent for brave creative execution and strategy has landed her at award-winning agencies including Saatchi and Saatchi Paris, TBWA CHIAT, and Leo Burnett.