• by Fern Siegel , May 22, 2026

Media-creative agency Croud appointed Callum McCahon to Chief Strategy Officer, aligning creative and media strategy for clients.

Before this, he was Chief Strategy Officer at Born Social, the social-agency acquired by Croud in 2022. McCahon spent 12 years at the agency, where he led global strategy Guinness, Ford and Barclays. 

Based in London, he now reports to global CEO Luke Smith and joins Croud's global executive team. The role is designed to address how AI impacts client strategy.

“AI is making it easier than ever to do more, but harder than ever to know what’s worth doing. The exciting opportunity now is to take that way of thinking and apply it across the whole marketing ecosystem ... so clients get braver thinking, sharper decisions and work that gets stronger over time,” said McCahon.

The appointment follows wins for ITV and ChapStick, as well as Valerie Davis becoming Croud's U.S. CEO.

Smith added: “The best outcomes for clients happen when creative and media are integrated — built from the same strategic foundation. For us, social-first thinking and creativity is no longer an afterthought of marketing strategy; it’s where it begins.” He noted that elevating McCahon was key to integrating he two aspects of the business.”

In March, pizza oven brand Ooni appointed Croud as its global media agency of record. U.S. brand work includes Nespresso, Chime and General Electric.