DALLAS ─ Oct. 19, 2016 – Freeman, the leading global provider of brand experiences, today announced the hiring of two renowned executives as part of the company’s ongoing commitment to bring world class talent to drive the future of brand experience.
Peter McGrath, a longtime successful creative leader at The Walt Disney Company, starts his new role as senior vice president of creative for Freeman’s agency division FreemanXP. Haluk Kulin, a global marketing leader at multinational consumer goods company Unilever and a pioneer in building trust and value through data, joins as senior vice president of strategy and data for FreemanXP.
Freeman continues to evolve and innovate the brand experience category, inspiring massive change on a global scale using data-driven insights to connect people in ways that are meaningful and measurable. “Both Peter and Haluk see the tremendous opportunity to join a global enterprise and work with the world’s leading organizations to innovate the brand experience channel,” said Bob Priest-Heck, Freeman’s president. “Big thinkers, leaders, and innovators in their own right, Peter and Haluk have come to us from other industries and will continue to amplify the transformation Bruce Mau, our chief design officer, is leading.”
At Disney, McGrath led the Creative Studio of Walt Disney Imagineering as Executive of Creative Development – the creative division of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts worldwide – among other leadership roles during his 25-year career with the company. At Freeman, McGrath will oversee the creative department to nurture and maximize creative across the enterprise.
Kulin joins Freeman after more than a decade at Unilever, where he developed some of its most successful brands and founded Personal BlackBox, a public benefit corporation that helps companies unlock the full potential of customer data with trust and transparency. At Freeman, Kulin will be charged with harnessing data to deliver integrated customer solutions that combine data, strategy, research, and creative capabilities.
Both men will also hold a position on Freeman’s newly created Design Leadership Council, a team of 10 intellectual, design-thinking leaders, who bring a unique, transformative point of view that will help Freeman and its customers battle complacency, risk aversion, and time constraints to invent new ways of inspiring change.
“Hiring people with the skills and experience that Peter and Haluk bring continues our commitment to deliver new and unprecedented brand experiences for our customers,” said Dan Hoffend, president of FreemanXP. “With Peter’s incredible creative knowledge and Haluk’s deep, data-driven marketing insights, we are well positioned to evolve the industry with services and delivery capabilities for our clients.”
Over the past year, Freeman has continued to bolster its creative, data, and measurement capabilities with key hires and acquisitions. In November, Freeman announced Bruce Mau’s appointment as chief design officer. In May, the company acquired leading data and measurement company Exhibit Surveys.
ABOUT FREEMAN
Freeman is the world’s largest brand experience company. We help our clients design, plan, and deliver immersive experiences for their most important audiences. Through comprehensive solutions including strategy, creative, logistics, digital solutions, and event technology, Freeman helps increase engagement and drive business results. What makes us different is our collaborative culture, intuitive knowledge, global perspective, and personalized approach, gained from our 90 years as an industry leader. Freeman is a family-owned company with 90+ locations worldwide, and over 7,000 employees, 2,000 of which are located outside of the U.S. For more information visit www.freeman.com.
ABOUT FREEMANXP
FreemanXP uses the power of intersectional design thinking to create and deliver innovative, personalized brand experiences that drive results. Whether online or live, we connect individuals and brands in ways that accelerate engagement and create transformational change on a global scale. FreemanXP is backed by the reputation, stability, and superior service of Freeman. We leverage Freeman’s experience, relationships, and unmatched global resources to bring a whole new level of flexibility and scale to our clients’ programs. For more information on FreemanXP visit our website and twitter.
