How McCann hired an Account Director in 18 days

About McCann.

McCann Worldgroup is one of the world's leading creative and marketing networks, partnering with global brands across more than 100 countries through agencies including McCann, MRM, Momentum Worldwide and Weber Shandwick.

As client accounts continued growing across social and integrated campaigns, McCann needed senior account leadership capable of managing large-scale multi-market activity across fast-moving digital projects.

The business partnered with us to appoint a Social Account Director to support this continued growth.

Finding the right leader for a growing global account.

McCann needed a Social Account Director to lead a large multi-market social account. The role required a rare combination of senior account leadership, social media expertise and experience delivering integrated campaigns across multiple markets.

The challenge was not simply finding someone with strong agency credentials. The successful candidate needed to manage complex client relationships, oversee campaign delivery across multiple regions and provide strategic direction to both internal teams and external stakeholders.

Alongside the technical requirements of the role, McCann also needed someone who could settle quickly into a fast-moving agency environment and begin adding value from day one.

McCann's internal recruitment team was already managing a busy hiring pipeline. The business needed a recruitment partner that could support a specialist search, provide access to the right talent and work as an extension of the existing team.

Supporting McCann's search for a specialist agency leader.

We worked closely with McCann Worldgroup's internal recruitment team to build a detailed understanding of the role, the client account and the type of individual required to succeed.

Together, we defined what success looked like for the position.

This included experience leading complex client relationships, managing integrated campaigns, overseeing social strategy and operating within large agency environments. Once the brief was agreed, we carried out a targeted search focused on senior agency professionals with a proven track record of leading multi-market client work.

Particular attention was given to Account Director candidates with agency experience, strong commercial account management skills and experience delivering social-led campaigns within agency environments.

Throughout the process, we worked alongside McCann's internal recruitment team, managing candidate engagement, interview coordination and feedback while keeping the experience consistent for stakeholders and candidates. Our role was to complement the work already being done internally and provide specialist support where it was needed most.

Social Account Director hired in 18 days.

Within 18 days, McCann Worldgroup successfully hired a Social Account Director to lead a key multi-market social account.

The successful candidate brought extensive agency experience, strong client leadership skills and a proven ability to deliver integrated campaigns across multiple regions. The appointment strengthened account leadership within the team and provided additional support for a growing portfolio of client work.

By securing the right hire quickly, McCann was able to maintain momentum across ongoing client projects while strengthening leadership within a strategically important area of the business.

Key outcomes:

The partnership helped McCann secure specialist senior account leadership quickly, strengthening delivery across a key multi-market client account. Here are the key outcomes:

• Social Account Director hired in 18 days
• Senior account leadership secured for multi-market client work
• Strengthened client and campaign leadership capability
• Supported continued growth across key client accounts
• Delivered through a contingency recruitment partnership

"We needed a specific mix of skills for a senior social hire, which isn't always easy to find in the market. Digital Waffle listened, asked the right questions, and came back with candidates who genuinely matched the brief. Communication was clear throughout and we had the right person in place inside three weeks. Great to work with."

- Talent Attraction Partner, McCann Worldgroup

By working closely with McCann's internal recruitment team, we helped secure the right hire in just 18 days. The appointment strengthened leadership across a growing client account and provided the expertise needed to support continued delivery across multiple markets.

If you're looking for a client services or social media recruitment partner that can support specialist agency hires, we'd love to help.

Looking to hire talent? Submit your vacancy and speak to one of our consultants today.