The Start of a New Chapter with Kara Place, Instrument CEO
Kara Place, CEO
It is with great excitement that we announce Kara Place as Instrument’s next CEO. Kara has been with the company for nine years, and her previous roles include VP of Business Development, Brand and Marketing, as well as Executive Director of our largest client team. In her time as President, she has impacted all aspects of the business, including production, client partnerships, finance, people ops, ED&I, recruiting and more. Kara is returning to Instrument after a six month parental leave to take on this new role.
Over the past two years in her role as President, Kara has overseen multiple transformations in our business and culture. We’ve become remote-first to give our employees flexibility in where they live and work, we’ve made public commitments to Equity, Diversity and Inclusion for which we provide ongoing transparency, and we’ve launched our $3m+ Build/Grow/Serve program. We implemented all of these changes while growing at 30% year over year, and launching some of the best and most impactful work in our company’s history. And now we find ourselves on the precipice of an exciting and transformational change—an opportunity to shape our own future once again.
Kara has great instincts, vision and a knack for creating the unexpected. I’m confident she will lead Instrument to new heights.
Kara’s promotion comes after years of thoughtful planning and preparation. Our CEO and Founder Justin Lewis is transitioning to a new role as Chair of Constellation, a group within Stagwell comprised of multiple agencies (including Instrument) spanning data, insights, creativity, technology, production and experiential services. We are excited to continue partnering closely with Justin in this role.
For 15 years, Justin has overseen tremendous growth and catalyzed positive change and progression at Instrument. His remarkable vision, effort, and commitment are just part of his many contributions to the company’s success. Kara’s dedication and deep care for the people and culture of Instrument are a critical part of her leadership, and will continue the standard of leadership with our people and our clients that Justin has set.
Kara will be joined by other Instrument leaders who have taken on new roles this year focused on delivering excellence in their respective craft—Nishat Akhtar, VP of Creative, Rocky Clarke, VP of Strategic Growth, Jessica Hartley, VP of Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging, Leon Anderson, VP of Production, and John Brown, VP of Technology. Additionally, founding partner and CCO, JD Hooge, will remain at Instrument and is excited to continue working with Kara to advance our shared purpose of shaping a better future.
Kara has the unique ability to shepherd thoughtful growth of the business while sustaining a caring environment for people within it.
Today marks an exciting day for Instrument as we start our next chapter with confidence and momentum. Our future is rooted in our values of putting our people first, the pursuit of excellence, embracing a growth mindset, and putting truth in action. From the earliest days of our company’s history, Justin Lewis has said that success for us looks like creating the best work, and being the best to work with. We couldn’t be more thrilled to have Kara Place lead with this vision for many years to come.
