• by Fern Siegel , June 11, 2026

Tombras has added two ad vets to its ranks, part of its investment in growing the agency’s capabilities.

Bill Bayne has been named executive creative director and Sidney Henne as head of strategy. Bayne reports to CCO Paul Caiozzo; Henne reports to Dooley Tombras, president. The agency’s HQ is Knoxville, Tennessee.

“As one of the fastest-growing cities in the country, Knoxville has the energy, momentum and ambition to become a true creative hub,” said Tombras. “We’re committed to planting a flag here — attracting top talent like Bill and Sidney and building a creative culture that can stand shoulder to shoulder with anywhere in the world.”

Previously, Bayne spent 15 years at GSD&M, most recently as senior vice president/group creative director. He led award-winning work for Southwest Airlines: “Boarding Royale” and “Are You Sitting Down?” Additional work includes the Gold Clio-winning “Heat vs Nuggets,” a NBA social campaign for Tyson, and “I Got A Name” for Goodyear featuring Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Earlier in his career, he held roles at RPA and BBDO. 

“Becoming ECD in this agency, in this city, at this time is incredibly energizing. I’m excited to help plant that flag and put Knoxville firmly on the global creative map,” said Bayne. 

Henne joins Tombras from Wieden+Kennedy London, where she spent more than six years as group strategy director, leading strategy on Nike, including its “Scary Good” campaign in 2025. Before W+K, Henne held strategy posts at 72andSunny, Deutsch and BBDO. 

“There’s a long history of agencies putting cities on the map creatively, like Wieden did with Portland, and Crispin did with Boulder. Now Tombras is doing that with Knoxville. When your center of gravity isn’t in New York or LA, you have a spirit that compels you to take big swings,” said Henne. Tombras has enhanced its creative bench since 2024, when it brought on Caiozzo. It’s also recruited additional talent from BBH, Arnold, BBDO and Mother.

Caiozzo said the new hires bring “the kind of energy, perspective and experience you only get from spending time at some of the world’s best agencies.”

Tombras supports 500 employees globally, including New York, Buenos Aires and its Portland-based Opinionated unit. Client work includes Rippling, Rubbermaid, Sweethearts, Arby’s and Kayak.