Cracknell has more than 23 years' experience in the design sector and joins from Enterprise IG, where she was design director for nine years.
She will manage the company's teams in London and York, working with Anthem Worldwide's blue-chip clients, including Nestle, Revlon and Pepsico.
Barry Seal, UK managing director at Anthem Worldwide, said: "Alison has made a fantastic contribution to the business and we are delighted to welcome her to the team.
"As we have major plans for growth over the next 12 months, I'm sure her input will be invaluable."
Cracknell said: "I am very excited about what we can achieve. It is incredibly refreshing to work at an agency that produces innovative, daring creative that is also grounded in commercial reality."
Anthem Worldwide was established in the UK in 2006. It is part of the Schawk global design community and has 15 studios across the world.