McKinney, the Durham, NC-based ad agency which became part of South Korea’s Cheil Worldwide last summer, has hired Peter Nicholson, formerly with JWT and Redscout, to head a new office in New York City. The McKinnney office will absorb a former Cheil USA office, with two of the latter’s executives -- Alex Van Gestel, managing director, and Yusuf Chuku, head of strategic services -- staying on board.