Matt Willifer, former chief strategy officer at Engine, is to join Dentsu Aegis Network’s Carat in the same role.
Starting in his new position in February, Willifer will report to chief executive Jo Sutherland. He will "take charge of strategic thinking and thought leadership across the agency".
Willifer left Engine in August 2019 after eight years at the agency. His exit came amid a string of departures at Engine, including that of co-founder Robin Wight, chief growth officer Simon Peck and creative and experience design chief executive Matt Edwards.
He has also worked at M&C Saatchi as head of strategy and began his career at DDB as a graduate trainee strategist.
Jo Sutherland said: "As media and creative move ever closer through the advancement of technology and data, it is the perfect moment for Carat to shift strategic leadership to a creative lens. We are thrilled to have Matt joining the team as he brings another strand of specialism and expertise both to the agency and to the leadership team at Carat."
This article first appeared in Campaign.