New chief strategy officer appointment poised to accelerate agency transformation & growth
New York, NY – (Nov 2, 2022) – Integrated luxury marketing boutique Hudson Rouge announced today the appointment of Lara O’Shea as its new chief strategy officer. In this role, O’Shea will lead strategy for all existing and new clients and accelerate the agency’s ongoing transformation and growth. Hudson Rouge serves longtime client Lincoln Motor Company and will continue to grow and diversify its client roster, which includes Rolex, The Macallan, Newmark, Zhang Yuan, and CitizenM Hotels. O’Shea will report to Michael Stefanski, president of Hudson Rouge North America.
Expansion of the agency’s leadership team comes as the luxury goods sector in both the U.S. and China shows growth with strong resilience despite economic headwinds. According to a recent report by eMarketer, U.S. personal luxury retail sales will reach nearly $110 billion in 2022, with ecommerce accounting for 22.7% of the total.
“The market for modern luxury is evolving and widening; with increasing crossover buying, the definition of a ‘luxury customer’ becomes more challenging to define. People increasingly place a higher value on their time and buy products and experiences to help create the luxury of space,” O’Shea said. “In building the bridge between emotion, the rational and action — brands are exploring new approaches to marketing, increasingly enabled by technology. Hudson Rouge is a special place, and uniquely able to deliver on this for our clients and their customers. I’m very happy to be a part of it!”
O’Shea has over 20 years of experience across business and marketing strategy, brand management, consulting, media, journalism, education, and nonprofit — both on the client and agency sides. Her love of human connections and customer experiences grounded in insightful human truths have consistently delivered high-impact business results. A graduate of WPP’s MBA Marketing fellowship program, she’s worked across various agencies within WPP, with her latest role with VMLY&R as part of the global strategic leadership team.
“Lara is a rare strategic talent — a ‘big ideas’ thinker, a progressive (and versatile) marketer, and a collaborative, motivating leader,” Stefanski said. “As the pace of cultural and business change continues to increase, I’m confident that Lara brings the skills and energy we need to help our people and our clients grow.”
O’Shea’s versatile experiences and her prior leadership role with the global VMLY&R network is key to unlocking Hudson Rouge’s next phase of growth. The appointment news signals closer integration between VMLY&R and Hudson Rouge to service an expanding luxury sector. Earlier in 2022, Hudson Rouge officially joined VMLY&R as its specialized luxury offering.
About Hudson Rouge
Hudson Rouge is an integrated luxury marketing boutique, headquartered in New York. The agency has offices around the world, including in Detroit, Shanghai, Toronto and Mexico City. Founded in 2012, and part of WPP and VMLY&R networks, Hudson Rouge specializes in understanding, optimizing, and amplifying the unspoken codes that contribute to the staying power of luxury brands and services. The agency provides a channel-agnostic, integrated approach and broad service offering to clients across the ultra-competitive luxury sector.
