Last September Wunderman Thompson was named global agency of record for the leading coffee brand, taking on strategic and creative duties. The agency’s first campaign for the brand, ‘Made a Little Better’, launched this April and premiered a new creative platform centring around the small things, like a Costa coffee, that can uplift everyday moments.

The agency also recently launched transformative work with Avon, with ‘Embrace your Power’, a global brand platform and accompanying integrated campaign which celebrates women living out their full potential and brings a fresh take to the 135-year-old brand.

Chloe joins from Ogilvy UK, where she was Global Creative Director across Dove and Hellmann’s. During her time working on Dove she led the ‘Change is Beautiful’ campaign, the biggest global relaunch in the brand’s history which premiered at last year’s Super Bowl, and led the Hellmann’s smart jars campaign, which uses a thermochromic jar label to help prevent food waste.

Prior to Ogilvy, Chloe spent six years at Droga5, Havas and Publicis in New York, working across award-winning campaigns for brands including Citi, Keurig and Rite Aid.

Steve Aldridge, Chief Creative Officer at Wunderman Thompson UK, said: “I’m delighted that Chloe has joined our irrepressible and ambitious creative team. She’s a talented creative leader with global and brand expertise and that I know will help us raise the bar as we continue to make bigger, bolder ideas across Avon and Costa Coffee.”

“I was drawn to Wunderman Thompson by the sheer diversity of the capabilities that Wunderman Thompson has at its fingertips” added Chloe. “Having so many world-class capabilities under one roof means that creatively anything is possible, and it’s possible at speed. I’m looking forward to maximising the creative potential of the iconic brands on Wunderman Thompson’s client roster.”

Wunderman Thompson was named as Campaign’s Global Integrated Network of the Year 2022, its sixth year holding an Agency of the Year title.

Source: Wunderman Thompson UK

The Responsible Marketing Agency today announces a number of key appointments as it continues to help clients to realise sustainable growth through responsible and progressive practices. The new hires include Liam Brennan as Managing Director; Alice Brady, Chief Strategy Officer; and Clare Latham, Global Programme Director.

The growing team of ethically-minded media professionals is helping brands, agencies and publishers to accelerate competitive advantage whilst shaping capabilities and enabling delivery of environmental, social and governance (ESG) roadmaps and KPIs. It offers flexible service models to cover advisory, enablement, strategy and partnerships. Passionate about helping clients plan for what’s next, whilst striving to ensure positive societal impact synchronised with business growth, these individuals will help to deliver consultative services to create and shape programmes that will drive responsible, sustainable and progressive marketing solutions.

Liam Brennan, the Responsible Marketing Agency’s new Managing Director, has a long history working alongside founder Hannah Mirza, with whom he launched Blink Consulting at MediaCom. He is determined to drive positive change for the agency’s clients, and ultimately, positive change for the industry – having already driven media and marketing transformation for a number of global, household name brands such as Mars and The Coca-Cola Company in his career to date. With a background in transformation, he can orientate clients and partners around a common goal and design work-streams which deliver sustainable and progressive change, and ultimately drive stronger business outcomes.

Liam says: “I can’t wait to bring the Responsible Marketing Agency’s offering to more clients and to work with the team to develop products and processes that help make life easier for our clients to deliver the positive change they and the industry need. Responsible marketing is a hot discussion point right now, but brands can struggle to find a place to start. Too often, it’s seen as a value-add for agencies as opposed to something that can really drive a business forward. I’m excited to help bridge that gap – doing the right thing, making media and marketing fit for progress whilst giving brands a clear path to success and helping deliver tangible, and quantifiable, results.”

Meanwhile, Alice Brady, who joins as Chief Strategy Officer, has spent the majority of her career in large media agencies as a strategist on household name brands including ITV, Marks & Spencer and Unilever – creating actionable communications strategies, leading integration with other disciplines and agencies and instigating ESG thinking. Latterly at Mindshare, Alice was responsible for Grow@Mindshare – where she supported highly ambitious adolescent brands such as Depop, Graze and Elvie to realise their next stage of growth.

She says: “I’m excited by the ‘can-do’ attitude of The Responsible Marketing Agency. As a strategist I’ve encountered too much ‘nice thinking’, and as an industry we’re prone to paying lip service to big issues. In contrast, The Responsible Marketing Agency is truly action-focussed, determined to deliver real, positive change for our clients and the industry. My biggest ambition is that we transform to integrate ESG into the everyday work of our clients and the industry. That’s where it can add the most value – rather being viewed as an additional workload by clients and agencies alike.”

Meanwhile, Clare Latham, appointed as Global Programme Director at the Responsible Marketing Agency, originally trained as a journalist before moving into programme management at digital agencies and consultancies, working alongside major FMCG brands including Diageo, Unilever, Wrigley, L’Oreal and Beiersdorf. Most recently at Flock Associates, Clare led digital and media transformation programmes for clients to drive growth and future-proof their business.  

Clare says: “I’m delighted to join The Responsible Marketing Agency which is at the forefront of driving the next biggest transformation needed for businesses – responsible, sustainable and progressive change; strategies and roadmaps that positively impact businesses and society at large. Within the next few years, responsible marketing will no longer be a nice-to-have arm of a business; it will be integrated into all marketing to ensure companies are not left behind.” 

Founder Hannah Mirza concludes: “We are delighted to welcome these individuals to our trusted team as we continue to offer a range of services to our clients, from supply path optimisation to media decarbonisation strategies and the development of DEI programmes. We share a genuine passion for helping clients to thrive in an increasingly complex world; in the knowledge that when brands act responsibly in the media and marketing environment, their success deepens. Our growing team of advisors is here to guide clients through the ESG maze, navigating new solutions and paths ahead, with holistic and truly integrated strategies.”

Source: The Responsible Marketing Agency

In a strategic move, REDPILL, the influencer performance marketing agency, has appointed Wayne Edwards as their new Business Growth Director. Wayne brings a wealth of experience from his previous roles at Ingenuity, Biglight, Your Favourite Story, Trustpilot, and Google.

Upon joining REDPILL during this crucial phase of expansion, Wayne will centre his efforts on amplifying both new and existing business opportunities. His principal duties will involve discovering unexplored avenues for growth and devising strategic sales tactics for introducing products and services.

Henry Collins, Agency Partner and Operations Director, expressed his confidence in Wayne, stating, “Wayne possesses profound knowledge and a deep understanding of growth positioning, making him a key driver in propelling REDPILL to the next level.”

Wayne, saying, “While REDPILL already boasts an impressive clientele, there is still ample room to explore and develop relationships.  I am excited to contribute to the agency during this period of growth.”

Source: REDPILL

Today, independent creative agency network GUT announces it is appointing Sandra Alfaro as its first-ever U.S. CEO, who will be responsible for managing the day-to-day operations of GUT’s office in Miami, the Network’s headquarters, as well as its GUT Los Angeles office, effective September 5th. She will be working closely with the agency’s global leadership team, especially with the U.S.’s creative leads Ricardo Casal and Juan Javier Peña Plaza, NA CCOs & Partners, and Bruno Acanfora and Ariel Abramovici, ECDs at GUT LA, as well as Carmen Rodriguez, Global Chief Growth Officer & Partner, to continue ensuring that all GUT’s U.S. clients execute gutsy work that builds and drives success for their businesses. Alfaro will report to GUT’s Global CEO Andrea Diquez and she will be based in Miami.

“Sandra is an incredible business leader. She understands where the market and consumers are going so she is the best at setting up clients’ businesses for success,” said Diquez. “Also, her integrated thinking amazes me every time. She’s able to merge media, creativity and data seamlessly into business, and has created models across many categories. And above all, Sandra champions people and creativity, and her heart is huge. Those qualities for me are why she is perfect for our culture and this new role, and is key to GUT’s future as we continue to grow globally.”

Alfaro brings over 25 years of experience across the advertising and marketing industries. Hailing from DDB Chicago, she most recently served as its President. During her time there, she helped the agency launch its first dedicated social practice, and played a key role in new business. Before DDB, she was at Horizon Media, where she was the first leader of culture-first creative agency 305 Worldwide, a joint-venture with Pitbull. And prior to that, she was the Managing Director of Grey Wing for five years, and helped reignite Wing’s leadership in the industry, and helped them win major clients including Pfizer, Papa John’s, Lilly, and Nestle.

“The culture of GUT is what most excites me. They are a brave agency for brave clients with clarity on its values of Courage, Transparency and Intuition, which means that GUT knows what it is, and what it’s not, which is inspiring and exciting,” said Alfaro. “In my new role, I hope to inspire the U.S. team to continue delivering brave work to its amazing clients, while ensuring the agency operates both effectively and efficiently. Growth is my passion, so it’s always my goal to inspire teams to embrace a growth mindset in all we do, in both the agency, as well as with clients. I view myself as a servant leader, so I will focus my energy on helping teams thrive and reach their greatest potential, while also being open to learn from their diverse points of view.”

In her 20+ years in Account Management, Alfaro has actively led campaigns across major categories including in Retail, Automotive, CPG, Beer, Pharma, Non-Alcoholic Beverages, Apparel/Fashion and Beauty, for clients such as The Home Depot, Nissan, Heineken, Stouffer’s, Old Navy, and many others. As the first U.S. born in her Peruvian family, Alfaro has always been interested in learning from different cultures and perspectives in both her personal and professional lives. She also earned her Professional Coaching Certification in 2019, and founded Power & Grace, a boutique consultancy offering Life and Business Coaching, Corporate Training and Public Speaking.

“After five years of really exciting growth, it was finally time to appoint someone who could help us continue to lead and grow our U.S. offices successfully, which is why we entrust Sandra with this amazing responsibility,” said Anselmo Ramos, Co-Founder and Creative Chairman at GUT. “We also wanted to find someone who shared our People-first philosophy and could help us perpetuate it even more across GUT Miami and GUT LA. We also love the fact that Sandra already worked with Andrea in the past and they perfectly complement each other; we’re strong believers in the power of the second time. I have no doubt that Sandra will successfully lead us into our new chapter of growth and success for our offices and clients across the U.S., and Gaston, Andrea and I, along with our leadership team, will be there to support her every step of the way.”

Alfaro’s appointment comes off the heels of GUT Network’s strong year at Cannes Lions, where it won a total of 35 Lions, including 3 Grand Prix, 8 Golds, 12 Silvers and 12 Bronzes across its Network. It also became Cannes Lions’ Independent Network of the Year, LATAM Regional Network of the Year, and its GUT Buenos Aires office was honored as its Independent Agency of the Year and Agency of the Year – the first for Argentina. GUT also recently expanded its footprint to Europe, with the opening of its seventh office in Amsterdam earlier this year.

Alfaro earned her MBA in Marketing and Management from NYU’s Stern School of Business and her BSBA in International Business from The American University. She began her career at Saatchi & Saatchi, which was where she discovered her passion for advertising and business leadership. Later, at The Vidal Partnership (TVP), she spent over a decade building a best-in-class Account Management department, reaching the role of Managing Partner of the agency before she was 30. While at TVP, Alfaro was recognized by Ad Age as one of its Women to Watch lists in 2005, becoming the youngest recipient to receive that honor at the time.

Source: GUT

The Valuable 500 is the global business partnership of 500 companies working together to end disability exclusion.

Today, the Valuable 500 announces the appointment of Katy Talikowska as its new CEO. With an impressive track record leading on inclusion in the advertising industry, Katy is set to strengthen and amplify the global movement for disability inclusion. Katy succeeds Joanne Pritchard, former CEO of the Valuable 500, to lead the organisation into an ambitious strategic phase until the end of 2025.

Caroline Casey, founder of the Valuable 500, will continue to play a vital role for the organisation as Director, providing ongoing insights, guidance, and expertise. Katy will report to Paul Polman and Jeff Dodds jointly as Chairs of the Company and Advisory board. Reporting to Katy, Gitika Kalra will join the executive team as Director of Operations and Delivery, after successfully implementing complex transformation programmes within the UK and Asia markets.

New CEO Katy Talikowska began her journey with the Valuable 500 in 2019 when she partnered with Caroline Casey to launch the initiative at the World Economic Forum in Davos. Her instrumental role in the programme’s initiation showcased her commitment to disability inclusion on the global stage. As CEO, Katy will lead the Valuable 500’s mission to ensure that disability inclusion becomes a strategic priority for companies worldwide.

Katy will lead the charge towards the Valuable 500 Accountability Summit in Tokyo 2025, where the 500 companies of the organisation will be invited to report on their progress against three ‘Synchronised Collective Actions’: Leadership, Reporting and Representation.

Before her appointment, Katy excelled in various leadership roles during her impressive twelve-year journey at AMV BBDO, a leading advertising agency. Katy played a key role in the ground-breaking 2016 Maltesers Disability campaign, which garnered prestigious awards and became Maltesers’ most successful campaign in 18 years. She serves as a Leadership Mentor for Disability Rights UK and has been acknowledged as a Marketing Trailblazer of 2019. She has extensive global business expertise, having worked for 7 years in New Zealand and Australia.

Katy and Gitika bring their leadership, creativity, and a deep-rooted commitment to the disability agenda. Their appointment marks an exciting new chapter for the Valuable 500 as it continues to drive disability inclusion globally.

Katy Talikowska, CEO of the Valuable 500 commented:

“As the new CEO of the Valuable 500, I am excited to lead the change, drive our mission of the 3 Synchronised Collective Actions, and help end disability exclusion. 

It is crucial that businesses recognise disability inclusion not only as a moral imperative but as a strategic priority. Considering today’s competitive market, inclusion is a critical commercial advantage. It is not only about embracing diversity for diversity’s sake but about the value of recognising people with disabilities as consumers and, especially within the workplace, as employees. I am committed to driving tangible change towards a business world that recognises disability in its entirety.”

Caroline Casey, Founder of the Valuable 500, commented:

“Katy’s dedication to disability inclusion is undeniable. She has shown commitment to the Valuable 500 since its inception, and I am confident that under her guidance, the organisation will continue to make significant progress in accelerating disability inclusion through business. Phase 1, we achieved 500 CEO-backed board-level commitments as we broke the global CEO silence on disability in business and we positioned disability on the global BUSINESS leadership agenda. I look forward to working closely with Katy and truly believe in her leadership for the Valuable 500 and its next growth phase.”

Source: The Valuable 500

40-strong Kindred, which has just celebrated its ‘B Corp Birthday’ after being awarded B Corp status last summer, couples this change in senior structure with a brand relaunch, including a refreshed positioning and new visual identity that builds on the firm’s heritage and expertise in purpose-led comms.

Positive Change is Serious Business aims to demonstrate the business impact of delivering creative campaigns that improve the lives of people and enhance the wellbeing of the world. Current clients include Lily’s Kitchen, Gatsby Charitable Foundation, Gosh!, GoCardless, ZenAuto, CIPD and HM Government.

Charlotte Dolman said: “I’ve always been passionate about what I do but using these skills to make a difference has given me greater zeal and enjoyment for the job and our industry. Positive change can lead to many organisational benefits, including the bottom line. I’m really excited about growing Kindred’s consumer offering, and inspiring more brands and businesses to communicate their purpose in bold and brilliant ways.”

Sharon Bange, Joint Managing Director, said: “This PR game can be a slog at times, but Charlotte’s energy builds up everyone around her. Her enthusiasm for delivering brilliant work is infectious, which has helped to take our consumer brand client base from strength to strength. We’re excited to grow it even further under Charlotte’s leadership, and show we mean serious business.”

Charlotte will join Kindred’s Joint Managing Directors, Sharon Bange and Sinéad Gray, Commercial Director, Ross Garavand, and Chairman Nick Mustoe on the Executive team, supported by the Senior Leadership Team of Creative Director Zac Schwarz and Business Directors Emma Parrish, Shona Mathew and Katie Holl.

Kindred’s evolved positioning is based on the agency’s 25-year heritage in delivering earned-first campaigns through purpose-based thinking; and is launching now as the agency builds for future growth.

Source: Kindred

A passionate and tireless activist for equality, Nishma has worked hand-in-hand as vice president with Rania Robinson, Chief Executive of Quiet Storm, since Rania took on WACL Presidency in July 2022. 

Taking the helm of the oldest and most influential women’s club, possibly in the world, Nishma is passionate not only about WACL’s campaigning work and relentless pursuit of gender equality but also the community it provides to members, which includes leaders from across the industry.

Nishma’s top priority is to continue building momentum behind WACL’s 50% CEO campaign, which is pushing to have half of the chief executive roles in the industry filled by women by 2045. Currently, only 30% of CEO roles in advertising and communications businesses are held by women. The campaign kicked off earlier this year with the launch of the 50% CEO Playbook.  

To support that goal, Nishma will also focus on inclusivity across several different areas. These include spotlighting the vital importance of modern leadership and allyship, both receiving it and demonstrating it, with a particular focus on male colleagues and leaders, but also anyone of difference.

A second area of focus will be to develop the #RepresentMe campaign working with young and mid-life women to understand how they want to be represented in media, communications and advertising, as well as helping to build a robust pipeline of confident and “seen” women, whether they are new starters or returners.

Finally, Nishma is committed to delivering a menopause policy for all businesses to ensure support and understanding for women through this stage of their lives and ensure they are supported for the next progression in their careers.

Joining WACL as vice president is Karen Stacey, CEO of DCM (Digital Cinema Media).

Nishma joined Google in 2014 and has shaped many of its most loved programmes, events and campaigns in the UK. She joined Google from Dentsu where she held the role of Chief Client and Marketing Officer for iProspect. Before her agency career, she had held senior client and media owner roles.

Aside from her day job, Nishma lends her time to mentoring young talent and supporting groups such as MEFA (MediaForAll), BRiM and Creative Equals. She is also proud to be a Fellow of the Marketing Society and the IPA

Nishma said: “It is a privilege to take on the role of Chair in WACL’s 100th year, and I am proud to lead it into its next century. There has never been a more exciting time for the industry and women, and while we have witnessed significant progress over the past 100 years, there is still so much to do. WACL members are the very best and most senior women in our industry, and I believe there is no better group of women to make change and lead the way for future generations.

Rania added: “Nishma is the perfect leader to advance our modernisation of WACL. She has shown through her personal values, proven track record and hugely impressive achievements in her role at Google that she perfectly aligns with the WACL mission. Nishma will usher in an inspiring new era for WACL as it enters its second century.”

Source: WACL

It’s bolstering ahead with its ethos of disrupting the traditional agency approach by doing digital marketing differently to ensure that every client that it works with are SEO winners.  

Pic: John Keating, Managing Director, Dark Horse

The agency is now going global having secured contracts with several new brands that operate within the UAE including Grout King, Tile King and Reno King.  

The brands have appointed the digital marketing agency to take over its PPC and SEO campaigns to boost growth online in the UAE.

In addition to those UAE clients, the agency has recently won a raft of new business in the UK including Khyam, Career Navig8r and Talos360.

Michael Widgery at Grout King, explains: “I knew from the initial audit phase that Dark Horse was the right agency for us as it took the time to understand our goals and needs.”

Dark Horse’s managing director, John Keating, said: “We’ve done our homework and we’re confident that our famous ‘Dark Horse Digital Difference’ will be as successful in the UAE as it has been in the UK.”

“Dubai is the perfect location to build our business in the region and capitalise on growth opportunities as all three businesses are really focused on super-charged growth through digital.”

Dark Horse is a growing Google Premier Partner based in Manchester. 

Source: Dark Horse

The promotion will see Avener lead Leo Burnett UK and head up the agency’s management team.

Carly Avener joined Leo Burnett in 2019 as Managing Director. Since joining, the agency has grown revenue by more than 50% , fuelled by both organic growth and new business wins. She has helped deliver a series of pitch wins including Morrisons, Victorian Plumbing and, most recently, Allwyn, the new operators of National Lottery.  In her role, Avener has taken a lead on DE&I, training and cultural initiatives at Leo Burnett. This culminated in the agency being named one of The Sunday Times Best Places to Work for 2023. In June, the agency picked up four Cannes Lions and two Marketing Society Awards, including the Marketing Society Grand Prix. 

As CEO, Avener’s responsibilities will include the day to day running of the agency, spearheading new business, leading DE&I strategies, and acting as a senior partner to many of Leo Burnett’s clients.

Prior to joining Leo Burnett, Avener spent 13 years at BBH where she held numerous leadership positions including New Business Director and Managing Partner and successfully launched new social media and customer experience practices for the agency.

Carly Avener, CEO at Leo Burnett UK, said: “I am incredibly proud to have the opportunity to lead such a brilliant agency that creates work that truly speaks to and resonates with the nation. We’ve achieved so much in the past few years, I’m honoured to have been handed the torch and I look forward to leading our agency as we build on our recent successes and momentum.”

In tandem with Carly’s promotion, Charlie Rudd takes on the elevated role of Group CEO of Leo Burnett, Publicis•Poke and Fallon, overseeing all three agencies.

Charlie Rudd, Group CEO at Leo Burnett, Publicis•Poke and Fallon, said: “Carly has been central to Leo Burnett’s turnaround story. She has been across everything that we’re most proud of, from internal initiatives set up to improve our working lives, to the biggest pitch wins and of course creating our best work. She has become the most accomplished Managing Director I’ve ever worked with and it’s clear she is going to go on to achieve so much more in her new role as CEO. We’re lucky to have her, as is our industry.”

The changes follow other recent promotions at Leo Burnett including Andrew Long and James Millers’ elevation from Creative Directors to Creative Partners, both of which are new roles for the agency. They continue to report to ECD Mark Elwood.

Source: Leo Burnett UK

Global independent creative agency GUT is announcing the appointments of Natalie Street as Head of Accounts and Christian Buer as Executive Creative Director in its Toronto office. Buer will lead the creative team alongside ECD Brynna Aylward. Both Street and Buer will be based in Toronto and will report to Managing Director & Partner Ryan O’Hagan. Juan Javier Peña Plaza also oversees the office as Partner and North America CCO.

“I’m incredibly excited to see how much GUT Toronto has grown in such a short amount of time across the board,” said Peña Plaza. “Now having Natalie leading our Account team, and Christian working alongside Brynna as our newest ECD to lead our Creative team, I know GUT Toronto will be even stronger and more creative than ever for all our clients, making their businesses thrive even further in the years to come.”

Over Street’s nearly 15 years of experience, she has built her career at some of Toronto’s most well-respected agencies, including DDB and TAXI. Additionally, she has been a trusted partner to some of Canada’s biggest brands, including Canadian Tire, Boston Pizza, Rogers Canada, Manulife and now, Tim Hortons. Buer has spent the last 12+ years working to bridge the disciplines of design and advertising, and has worked at several of the country’s most celebrated agencies in collaboration with respected leaders for some of the nation’s best-loved brands, including McDonalds, Toyota, HomeSense and KFC. 

“The growth of the office over the past two years has been inspiring to lead and witness, and we are continuing to strengthen our Account and Creative teams with Natalie and Christian on board,” said O’Hagan. “They’ve both made an immediate impact and are a perfect compliment to the existing leadership team. I’m excited to see what we’ll achieve together in this next chapter of GUT Toronto.”

After being inspired by the work coming out of the Canadian market, Co-Founders and Creative Chairmen Anselmo Ramos and Gaston Bigio opened GUT Toronto in 2021 with a 40-person team and Tim Hortons as its AOR. Over the last year, GUT Toronto has expanded its client roster, including winning the AOR business for GoodLife Fitness, along with projects for K-Y Jelly and Spin Master’s Rubik’s Cube and GUND. In 2022, GUT Toronto also won a Cannes Lion award for the “TimBiebs” campaign, which was the first-ever Lion for both GUT Toronto and Tim Hortons. The campaign also received the Grand Effie at the Canadian Effie Awards, among other top honors. 

The news of GUT Toronto’s rapid progress follows the success of the GUT Network at Cannes, collecting a total of 35 Cannes Lions and officially being named as the #1 Independent Network of the Year. Additionally, GUT recently celebrated its 5 year anniversary this year, and opened GUT Amsterdam in the spring, GUT’s first office in Europe.

Source: GUT Toronto