DonerColle Partners today announced the appointment of Mariana O’Kelly as its first chief creative officer, reaffirming its commitment to helping brands win between the coasts through creative that drives culture and business. O’Kelly will lead creative direction across Doner and Colle McVoy effective June 1.
O’Kelly brings nearly 30 years of global creative leadership, shaping work for iconic brands like KFC, Philips, Kellogg’s and Campbell’s, alongside household staples from SC Johnson and Kimberly-Clark, including Huggies and Pledge. Her work has earned top industry recognition and driven lasting business impact.
“Mariana’s ability to uncover the emotional and cultural truth within a brand and turn it into creative work that influences behavior is what makes her the kind of leader brands need in their corner to win today,” said Jessica Henrichs, CEO, DonerColle Partners. “For nearly three decades on three continents, she’s proven that when creative is rooted in lived understanding, the results follow. That’s the competitive advantage this partnership was built for.”
O’Kelly joins DonerColle Partners from Leo Burnett Chicago, where she served as EVP/executive creative director overseeing the Kellogg’s portfolio, including Special K, Frosted Flakes, Froot Loops, Frosted Mini-Wheats, Raisin Bran and Kashi. During her tenure, she unified the work under a single creative vision, modernizing it to better reflect today’s culture. This effort elevated the work and earned widespread industry recognition, including a Cannes Lion.
Prior to Leo Burnett, O’Kelly spent nearly a decade at Ogilvy, with leadership roles in both Johannesburg and Chicago. As ECD in Johannesburg, she built the office into one of the most awarded creative agencies in South Africa and a top 10 creative agency globally within the Ogilvy network. She left as the most decorated female creative in the Johannesburg office to become global executive creative director in Chicago, leading creative for SC Johnson’s portfolio of iconic household brands.
“Joining DonerColle Partners is an opportunity to help shape the next chapter of creative for brands that move everyday American life,” said O’Kelly. “Doner and Colle McVoy have earned the trust of some of the most recognized brands in their categories through decades of award-winning creative work and measurable business impact. Now it’s about building on that foundation and delivering work at a scale that matches the ambition behind this partnership.”
As CCO, O’Kelly will oversee creative for DonerColle Partners’ portfolio of national brands, including The Coca-Cola Company, DQ, Hershey, Jeep, Ram, La-Z-Boy, Perdue, McCormick & Company, Revlon and The UPS Store.
“Doner has built a legacy of breakthrough creativity through an unrelenting belief that the best work starts with the people it’s made for,” said David DeMuth, executive chairman, DonerColle Partners. “Mariana brings a rare combination of instinct, craft and a sharp understanding of how modern audiences engage with brands. She’s exactly the kind of creative leader this partnership was built for.”
O’Kelly’s work consistently connects cultural relevance to measurable business outcomes:
- For Huggies, she launched the World’s First Baby Marathon – a 21 km race between four babies wearing custom distance-tracking wearables, streamed in real time across digital channels. The campaign trended within 10 minutes and drove nearly a 30% increase in diaper sales.
- For Frosted Flakes, she brought Tony the Tiger to hip-hop for the first time, developing an original track performed by Grammy-nominated rapper J.I.D. to reach teens, driving a 2,000% increase in YouTube traffic and a deeper connection with a key target audience.
- For Special K, when a Times Square billboard featuring chef Molly Baz – then nine months pregnant – was pulled after two days, O’Kelly seized the opportunity. A week later, Baz became the first pregnant woman to appear on a Special K box, sparking a national conversation and selling out the limited-edition box in under a week.
O’Kelly is a 2025 Adweek Creative 100 honoree and served as Cannes Lions Jury President in 2022. She has won three Cannes Grand Prix and two Creative Effectiveness Grand Prix at The Loeries in addition to more than 75 international awards across Cannes Lions, D&AD, The One Show and The Clios. The Gunn Report ranked her the number-one ECD in South Africa and 12th globally. Her work has been recognized for blending emotional storytelling with culture-first brand behavior.
Outside of work, O’Kelly is an aspiring painter who believes the best creative ideas often come from observing the people around her. She’s the mother of twin boys about to graduate high school and the first – and, so far, only – winner to bring her husband and children onto the Cannes stage to collect a Grand Prix, a moment that repeated itself three years later.
Reporting to Henrichs, O’Kelly’s appointment comes at a time of continued momentum for DonerColle Partners, which was established earlier this year to serve the brands that move America by winning with the consumers who drive it. Colle McVoy was recently named one of Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies of 2026, while Doner continues to be recognized for its strategic and creative leadership.
