Did INNOCEAN Just Make the One of Moves of the Year So Far?

Lee Maicon is heading to California, and the indie world keeps getting more interesting

INNOCEAN USA has named Lee Maicon its new Chief Strategy Officer. This feels like one of those appointments that fundamentally shifts the conversation—particularly when a strategist of Maicon’s caliber deliberately chooses the independent path.

Following Cindy Scott’s retirement, Maicon will lead strategic vision for the Huntington Beach agency’s diverse portfolio—from automotive giants Hyundai and Genesis to newer acquisitions like El Pollo Loco. This move signals substantial ambition.

“Lee brings a rare combination of strategic depth, multicultural intuition, and cross-discipline experience that’s precisely what we need at this transformative moment,” said Steve Jun, CEO of INNOCEAN USA. That “transformative moment” designation? Not mere executive rhetoric.

Three Reasons This Is Such a Big Deal

1. He’s the Guy Behind the Campaigns You Remember

Lee Maicon creates strategy that transcends into culture. As chief strategy officer at The Community, he was the strategic architect behind Verizon’s groundbreaking 2024 Super Bowl campaign featuring J Balvin—the first-ever Spanish-language Big Game spot on Univision, powered by AI technology. The campaign won accolades and demonstrated how sophisticated thinking can transform “firsts” into formidable business results.

Throughout his career, he’s helped iconic brands like Absolut, Clinique, Coca-Cola, HBO, MINI, Oreo, and Oscar Mayer “reinvent themselves, land in culture and drive business growth”—strategic transformation that distinguishes exceptional agencies from merely competent ones.

2. He’s Been Architecting the Future of Strategy for 25+ Years

Maicon has worked in advertising through arguably its greatest transformations—from the dawn of the consumer internet, through the shift to social media, and now helping clients navigate AI, as he told Matt Collins’ blog earlier this year. Consider that trajectory: from early web technologies to AI integration, he’s been there for every major shift.

At The Community, he doubled the strategy team, constructed new capabilities across cultural intelligence and communications strategy, and helped orchestrate significant year-over-year revenue growth. He managed change and orchestrated it with equal facility.

3. His Track Record of “Firsts” Speaks Volumes

Maicon was Edelman’s first-ever global chief innovation and strategy officer. At 360i, he became their inaugural chief strategy officer. The pattern is unmistakable: companies don’t create entirely new C-level positions for conventional talent. They do it when they discover someone who can fundamentally reconceptualize their approach to strategy.

Now, he’s bringing that same pioneering mentality to INNOCEAN at precisely the moment when independent agencies require strategic leaders who comprehend both scale and agility.

Why This Matters Right Now

INNOCEAN USA is cooking.

The agency won 10 industry awards in 2024, increased its headcount by 10.8%, and witnessed a 240% increase in new business revenue. It’s been accumulating momentum with work like Genesis’ “No Old Thinking” campaign and its industry-wide “Refacing the Future” initiative, which addresses AI bias.

But here’s what makes Maicon’s arrival feel so perfectly timed: born in Mexico and raised between Miami and New York, he brings exactly the global strategic perspective and cultural understanding that matches INNOCEAN’s “explorers” mentality. This isn’t about importing traditional agency thinking into an independent shop—it’s about amplifying what already distinguishes them.

“California has always represented possibility to me, and INNOCEAN embodies that same spirit,” Maicon said. “It’s rare to find an agency that combines the scale and depth of a full-service operation with the agility and soul of an independent.”

That’s not mere sentiment. That’s someone who’s spent years at the top of agency land recognizing something special when he sees it.

Strategic appointments signal intent as much as they fill roles. INNOCEAN just made a statement that matters to the ever-growing indie movement.