Huge Names Chidi Achara New Chief Product Officer

Rhea-AI Summary

Huge, a design and innovation company under Interpublic Group (NYSE: IPG), announces strategic executive changes with the appointment of Chidi Achara as Chief Product Officer and Matt Weiss as Chief Brand Officer. CEO Lisa De Bonis aims to build a diverse leadership team to drive growth, emphasizing innovation and client solutions. Achara brings extensive product experience from Brain.ai and a background in technology, culture, and branding. Weiss, previously Global President, will focus on enhancing Huge's brand presence and client relationships. The company's recent tools, Culture Decoder and Creative Capital Index, leverage AI technology to support client growth.

CEO Lisa De Bonis Announces Strategic Executive Changes; In Addition to Achara, Matt Weiss Named Chief Brand Officer

New York, NY, Feb. 22, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Huge, the design and innovation company under Interpublic Group (NYSE: IPG), today announced a set of executive hires and appointments to further accelerate the company’s growth. In her first major action as CEO, Lisa De Bonis revealed that Chidi Achara will join Huge as Chief Product Officer, and Matt Weiss will be appointed Chief Brand Officer.

“Building a well-rounded, connected leadership team with diverse experience is a personal goal of mine in 2024,” said De Bonis, CEO of Huge. “With Chidi and Matt on our team, I believe we can now accelerate delivering unique and innovative solutions for our clients.”

Chidi Achara: Scaling products and experiences to increase impact

Achara brings a depth of product experience to Huge. Most recently, he was President of Brain.ai, an AI and interface company whose mission is to democratize the AI economy and empower anyone to build AI applications. In that role, he oversaw marketing, product, design, user experience, and engineering for the launch of Imagica AI — a no-code AI app builder that enables users to create their own AIs using simple, plain language prompts.

“Chidi has a proven track record of innovation and excellence that spans technology, culture, branding and design experience,” said De Bonis. “He’s a natural connector. He brings the dynamic skillset and creative thinking we value at Huge, and shares our belief in the undeniable power of data and technology to inspire breakthrough product experiences.”

Recognized by Black Enterprise and Ebony Magazine as one of the country's most influential Black business leaders, Achara has also served in several senior brand and creative roles, including: Chief Brand Officer at fintech Stash, Chief Creative Officer at Simon Property Group, Vice President of Creative Services at Nike, and Executive Creative Director at BBH USA. He also sits on the board of the nonprofit, Charity: Water.

As Chief Product Officer, Achara’s mission is to scale collaboration across product innovation, design and engineering, and integrate AI technologies to accelerate growth for clients. Achara joins on the heels of the roll-out of Culture Decoder, a tool to help brands understand the cultural trends most important to their customers, and Creative Capital Index, which empowers businesses to optimize their organizational creativity — both of which are driven by the company’s proprietary AI-powered Living Intelligence Value Engine (LIVE).

“Huge has built a business that’s proven to be as innovative as it is durable in an ever-changing market,” said Achara. “I’m excited to work alongside Lisa, our teams and clients to create and scale products and experiences that drive growth for the world’s most ambitious brands.”

Matt Weiss: Supercharging our brand and strengthening client connections

In addition to Achara’s hire, Huge announced that Matt Weiss, formerly Global President, will step into a new role as Chief Brand Officer, where he will be responsible for championing the voice of Huge's brand within and outside of the organization in service of growth.

“The Huge brand is one of our most valuable assets,” said De Bonis. “Everyone who knows Matt, knows he bleeds magenta and when this is coupled with his love for our talent and deep understanding of our client’s needs, it results in great work and happy clients. He’s always done this, I’ve just made it official.”

Weiss previously led Huge’s team of client partners and program delivery experts dedicated to strengthening client relationships and outcomes through creative, data-driven solutions. Over his six-year tenure at Huge, Weiss has cultivated some of the company’s most dynamic clients including Planet Fitness, Virgin Voyages and Darling Ingredients.

Prior to Huge, Weiss held executive roles at Havas and MDC Partners’ KBS. He also spent more than 15 years at McCann, compiling an impressive run of wins and awards.

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About Interpublic
Interpublic (NYSE: IPG) (www.interpublic.com) is a values-based, data-fueled, and creatively-driven provider of marketing solutions. Home to some of the world’s best-known and most innovative communications specialists, IPG global brands include Acxiom, Craft, FCB, FutureBrand, Golin, Huge, Initiative, IPG Health, IPG Mediabrands, Jack Morton, KINESSO, MAGNA, McCann, Mediahub, Momentum, MRM, MullenLowe Global, Octagon, R/GA, UM, Weber Shandwick and more. IPG is an S&P 500 company with total revenue of $10.89 billion in 2023.

About Huge
Huge is a design and innovation company. We create products and experiences that grow the world’s most ambitious brands. We do this by designing experiences for people, not users, and uncovering new sources of growth by leveraging our creative talent, our proprietary platform LIVE and unlocking the advantages brought to us by emerging technologies. We believe all experiences should be intelligent, shoppable and unique to every brand.

Part of the Interpublic Group of companies, Huge’s nearly 1,000 thinkers, tinkerers, makers and creators, have been problem-solving across North America, Europe, and Latin America for over 25 years. Interested? You’ll find more information at www.hugeinc.com.  

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Contact Information
De'Andra Roberts
(Huge)
droberts@hugeinc.com

Tom Cunningham
(IPG)
(212) 704-1326

FAQ

Who are the new executive hires announced by Huge under Interpublic Group (NYSE: IPG)?

Chidi Achara as Chief Product Officer and Matt Weiss as Chief Brand Officer.

What is Chidi Achara's background and experience?

Achara brings product experience from Brain.ai and has held senior roles at Stash, Simon Property Group, Nike, and BBH USA. He is recognized as an influential Black business leader.

What is Matt Weiss's new role at Huge?

Matt Weiss will serve as Chief Brand Officer, focusing on enhancing Huge's brand presence and strengthening client connections.

What recent tools have been introduced by Huge leveraging AI technology?

Culture Decoder and Creative Capital Index, driven by the company's AI-powered Living Intelligence Value Engine (LIVE), aim to support client growth and optimize organizational creativity.

What are some of the clients that Matt Weiss has worked with during his tenure at Huge?

Planet Fitness, Virgin Voyages, and Darling Ingredients are among the dynamic clients cultivated by Matt Weiss.

What is Lisa De Bonis's goal in appointing new executives at Huge?

To build a diverse leadership team with a focus on innovation and delivering unique solutions for clients.

What is the significance of Chidi Achara joining Huge as Chief Product Officer?

Achara's mission is to scale collaboration across product innovation, design, and engineering, integrating AI technologies to drive growth for clients.

How does Matt Weiss's background contribute to his new role as Chief Brand Officer at Huge?

Weiss's deep understanding of client needs and talent, coupled with his track record at McCann, Havas, and KBS, positions him to champion Huge's brand and drive growth.

What are some of the key responsibilities of Matt Weiss as Chief Brand Officer?

Weiss will champion the voice of Huge's brand within and outside the organization, focusing on brand growth and client service.

What are the recent achievements of Huge in terms of AI-driven tools for clients?

Culture Decoder and Creative Capital Index are recent tools introduced by Huge to support client growth and optimize organizational creativity using AI technology.