Sarah Thompson to Head Goodby Silverstein & Partners as First Ever CEO

Goodby Silverstein & Partners has named Sarah Thompson as its first chief executive, tasking the former Droga5 global CEO and Accenture Song executive with leading the next phase of creative and commercial growth.

Sarah is known best for helping build Droga5 over 17 years, guiding international expansion and leading the agency through its 2019 acquisition by Accenture. After the deal, she ran global communications and content at Song, overseeing more than 5,000 people across creative, media and content agencies.

“What drew me to GS&P is their courage – their commitment to big ideas, their openness to evolve, and their belief that creativity can drive business and impact culture,” said Sarah. “This is a company that has stood the test of time because it works with integrity, adapts without fear, and truly believes that anything is possible.”

The move also marks a return given that Sarah began her career at GS&P in account management, working alongside the agency’s chief creative officer, Margaret Johnson. “Sarah’s track record speaks for itself,” said Margaret, “but what excites me most is her energy, her generosity, and her belief in the power of creativity to evolve business and culture.”

Founders Jeff Goodby and Rich Silverstein have backed the appointment, with Jeff praising her ability to rally people around a shared ambition. “She also knows how to nurture a creative powerhouse without losing its soul,” added Rich.

Sarah joins an expanded leadership team that includes Margaret, chief strategy officer Christine Chen, managing partner Brian McPherson, chief growth officer Cory Berger, head of inclusion and impact Dr Jennifer Gomes and head of people Jill Sammons.

GS&P has also built out its New York leadership, naming Eamonn Dixon and Stefan Copiz as executive directors, Tom Powers as managing director and Katie Coane as deputy director of brand strategy.

Sarah will be based in New York, which now services pillar clients including BMW, MINI, Frito-Lay, and Comcast.

Over the past year the New York office partnered with San Francisco on wins such as Zaxby’s, General Mills, Brown-Forman, Xfinity, and Comcast’s corporate business, contributing to a 300% increase in net new business revenue since July 2024, according to the agency.

Outside agency leadership, Sarah has recently co-founded The HT40 Foundation and The Shoulder Check Initiative, a youth mental health non-profit, and serves as chair of FundamentalCo, a strategy consultancy.

Recent GS&P work cited by the agency includes campaigns for Cheetos and AI-powered installations for the Dalí Museum, alongside plans to scale capabilities in media, design, data, and emerging technologies.

“I’ve seen what’s possible inside large holding companies when creativity is empowered, integrated, and at the centre,” said Sarah. “With GS&P’s unmatched creative core and Omnicom’s infrastructure in media, tech, and data, we have a powerful opportunity to define what a creative company of the future looks like.”