They will jointly succeed existing CEO Jean-Luc Bravi, who will now serve as Chairman of DDB France. For the past 20 years, the two have collaborated closely with Bravi, and they will keep pushing DDB Paris to become a dominant worldwide creative firm.
It seems obvious to him that Alexander and Paul should become the CEOs of DDB Paris. These two fiercely competitive teammates personify the fundamental principles that characterize our agency’s strength—they’re both Nice and Talented. According to Jean-Luc Bravi, after working closely with Alexander and Paul for almost 20 years, this move is the next natural progression.
With this position, a friendship that started at DDB in 2007 enters a new phase. It showcases the tight working relationship between an account executive and a creative who shared a belief in DDB’s values as children and went on to drive DDB Paris to sustained development and international recognition for its work.
Our passion has always been producing excellent creative work. It is still the most effective tool for accelerating the expansion of our clients’ companies. According to Alexander and Paul, we are both motivated by the common ambition to keep evolving our creative product by hiring the best talent and making sure DDB remains the home for the next creative generation.
Together, their extensive international experience will help them expand DDB’s global presence even more. Today, Paris stands as a creative powerhouse alongside cities like London and Amsterdam, becoming a primary hub for international brands, asserts Alexander Kalchev.
Their unwavering dedication to artistic brilliance is ingrained in the values of Doyle, Dane, and Bernbach, and it is just as pertinent now as it was seventy-five years ago.
The definition of genuine DDB leadership is exemplified by Paul and Alexander because they are industry experts who also listen well, understand their customers’ problems, and, most importantly, use their teams’ creativity to come up with creative solutions that strike an emotional chord. Glen Lomas, worldwide president and chief operating officer of DDB Worldwide, said DDB Paris and our clients are in capable and courageous hands.
As the recently appointed Chairman of DDB France, Jean-Luc Bravi, the current CEO of DDB Paris, will actively continue to serve the company in a crucial leadership capacity.
Alexander Kalchev attended the Miami Ad School in Hamburg and immediately after graduation joined DDB Paris in 2007. He gained notoriety fast, being named one of the “Creatives to Know” by Creativity Magazine and winning the ADC Young Guns award, which honors the best creatives under 30 in the globe.
He was named creative director in 2013 and, in 2015, at the age of thirty, he was made the youngest chief creative officer in the agency’s history.
Alexander has since been a driving force behind DDB’s commercial and artistic growth, creating a brilliant creative department that has taken home multiple accolades from all of the main festivals. The agency has gained recognition on a global scale and has been recognized as Agency of the Year in France multiple times under his direction.
Adopted to the Breton people, Paul Ducré graduated from INSEEC Paris and started working as an account executive at DDB Paris in 2005. He acquired expertise by collaborating with major international firms (Unilever, Henkel, and Johnson & Johnson) and groups renowned for their innovative work (Nike, Greenpeace, L’Équipe). His goal upon joining DDB Singapore in January 2012 was to expand the company’s portfolio of foreign brands in the Asia-Pacific area. In his capacity as Global Business Director, he helped the Unilever Group get several contracts (including those for Dove, Wall’s, Sunsilk, and Lifebouy).
When Paul returned to DDB Paris in 2015, he took up his role as Deputy Managing Director overseeing New Business. The business quickly expanded, gaining a large number of French and foreign accounts in just three years. As Managing Director of DDB Paris since 2018, Paul has been in charge of the agency’s major accounts, which include McDonald’s, Volkswagen Group, and Royal Canin. His contribution to the agency’s growth and digital transformation has been significant.
DDB Worldwide, which encompasses DDB branded agencies, adam&eveDDB (London, Berlin, New York), DM9 and Africa (both in Brazil), alma (Miami), Mango, Track, and Rodgers Townsend, is one of the biggest and most powerful advertising and marketing networks in the world. Numerous honors from the top award shows in the industry have been given to DDB, including the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity’s 2023 Global Network of the Year, D&AD Agency Network of the Year for three years in a row (2023, 2022, and 2021), and Effies US Agency of the Year in 2022 and 2023. For 12 of the last 15 years, DDB has been ranked by WARC as one of the Top 3 Global Networks. Among the companies that use the network include MARS, McDonald’s, Waitrose & Partners, Adidas, Lucozade, CALM, Volkswagen, Reynolds Consumer Products, Peloton, JetBlue, and the U.S. Army.DDB was established in 1949 and is a division of Omnicom. With its main office located in New York, NY, DDB employs more than 8,000 people in 140 offices in more than 60 countries.
