Josh Budd Named to Campaign USA’s Prestigious 40 Over 40 List

Citizen Relations’ Chief Creative Officer, Josh Budd, has been named to Campaign USA’s prestigious 40 Over 40 Awards, recognizing industry leaders who have made groundbreaking contributions to creative work and innovation while paving the way for the next generation of talent. 

A place on this year’s coveted list recognizes Josh’s remarkable 15-year trajectory as an agency evolutionary pioneer – someone who was among the first to disrupt the traditional agency model and recognize the power of integration before it became industry standard.

Transforming PR Through Creative Excellence

Since joining Citizen Relations four years ago as the agency’s first North American CCO, Josh has fundamentally transformed how the agency approaches creative work. He’s been instrumental in reengineering the business around creativity as a core currency, building the agency’s first global creative and strategy offering that repositioned Citizen as an earned-first creative powerhouse.

The results speak for themselves: under Josh’s creative leadership, Citizen has achieved its first Cannes Lions, D&AD, and One Show wins, along with multiple Agency of the Year honors – including Campaign’s Global PR Agency of the Year (Bronze) and Strategy’s PR Agency of the Year in 2024 (Silver) and 2023 (Gold). Industry bellwethers like the ICA Power List and Strategy Report Card now rank Citizen in the top 10 as Canada’s highest-ranked PR agency multiple years running.

Josh’s campaigns have sparked global conversation and twice landed on Fast Company’s World Changing Ideas list. Notable Citizen work under his helm include “Cheetle in Cheadle,” a cultural phenomenon that drove double-digit sales growth, and Elimin8Hate’s “Reclaim Your Name,” which advanced inclusion and normalized Asian identity worldwide.

Josh’s impact extends far beyond individual campaigns. A two-time PRovoke ‘Creative Professional of the Year’ (2023, 2024), he’s been recognized among Creativepool’s Top 100 Creative Leaders and The Drum’s World’s Most Awarded Creatives. He has served on juries including Cannes, D&AD, and the Effies, and regularly speaks on industry panels.

“Josh is much more than a great creative mind. He’s a great business leader, responsible for building and growing an incredibly talented and inspired team,” said Nick Cowling, CEO of Citizen Relations. “Josh has been a catalyst for creative curiosity and agency evolution, and this recognition from Campaign USA is a well-deserved acknowledgment of his leadership.”

Josh will be honored alongside fellow industry leaders at the awards ceremony in September in New York City. A huge congratulations to Josh on this well-deserved recognition, and to all the inspiring leaders earning a spot on the 2025 list.