Founded a decade ago, OK COOL has grown from a single-market boutique into a multi-market creative force, building a reputation for culturally-driven work for some of the world’s leading brands.
The promotion of Arnold from CEO of North America to Global CEO formalizes a leadership model designed for the agency's next stage of growth. He has been instrumental in significantly scaling the agency's US business over the past 2.5 years and has previously worked in all three of the agency’s current cities; London, Sydney, and New York.
Founders Liz Stone, Jolyon Varley, and Ben Gordon remain at the company and make up the remainder of the global senior leadership team, continuing their global roles of Chief Creative Officer, Chief Brand Officer, and Chief Operating Officer, respectively.
The move also signals a deeper integration strategy with Residence, the creative network that acquired OK COOL in 2026. The new Global CEO role reports into Ryan Honey, Residence founder and CEO, and is designed to create clearer points of entry for group-wide collaboration while protecting the agency's independent culture and creative identity.
Speaking on the announcement, Arnold said: "OK COOL has always believed that the most powerful thing a brand can do is to build cultural associations. We've spent nearly ten years proving that model works. This next chapter is about taking it everywhere and I couldn’t be prouder to be tasked with leading the charge. We have extraordinary clients, extraordinary people, and now a structure that gives us the best possible shot at becoming exactly what we set out to be, globally famous for helping brands be culturally cool."
“Ben has been significant in taking our business to new heights in the US market, and it’s time to bring his talents to a global scale,” said Liz Stone, Global Chief Creative Officer. “He’s the best person to shape OK COOL’s next chapter.”
About OK COOL
OK COOL is a creative agency with offices in New York, LA, London, and Sydney, operating within the Residence group. The agency works with a global portfolio of brands across culture, sport, lifestyle, and technology, with a mission to make brands Globally Famous for being culturally cool.
About Residence
Residence is a network of nine independent creative companies, founded in 2022 as a home for makers who see the world differently. It protects what makes each company distinct and brings them together to make the unmistakable. Headquartered in Los Angeles, its members are ACRONYM, BUCK, Creative Lives in Progress, GateMaker, Giant Ant, It's Nice That, OK COOL, Part & Sum, and Wild. For more information, visit residence.co.