Behavioural communications agency HeyHuman has announced the appointment of Liz Brown to the new role of Associate Creative Director, with a focus on online and social media content. Her hiring brings an all-female creative lead to HeyHuman, alongside Executive Creative Director, Shnoosee Bailey, and Creative Director, Carole Davids.

Brown joins HeyHuman with over a decade’s worth of experience at agencies including Doner (as Associate Creative Director), LIDA (Senior Creative/Copywriter) and Karmarama, where she led the social creative drive for Costa Coffee and Onken.

She began her career as an integrated creative copywriter, learning to craft campaigns through all touchpoints of the customer experience before specialising in the delivery of engaging social content, a skillset she will deploy in her role at HeyHuman.

Brown has worked on integrated campaigns for the likes of Boots, Ikea, and Huawei and, in 2017, handled live social content for London, Paris and Milan Fashion Weeks.

HeyHuman’s Executive Creative Director Shnoosee Bailey says: “The social media landscape is constantly evolving and we need someone on board who understands it implicitly to ensure our client campaigns harness the full potential of the medium. Liz is just the person. Her expertise in creating social content that people want to engage with not only answers a brand need; it fits perfectly with the empathetic, human-first approach we bring to every brief.”

Liz Brown adds: “Social wasn’t even a ‘thing’ when my career started, but it’s where so much important work happens today. The idea of building a story over a period of time, over a variety of platforms, is both an opportunity and a challenge that really appeals to me. Social weaves ideas, things and scenarios directly into people’s lives like no other medium can – you can build a brand and create meaningful relationships this way.”

HeyHuman is an independent behavioural communications agency that specialises in brand, content, social and experiential. With around 100 staff, HeyHuman supports the relationship between brands and consumers via a focus on building ‘Human Brands’ and specialisms in brand, content, social and experiential. Current clients include Sony, Unilever, Diageo, Slimfast and Mondelez.

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The Institute of Promotional Marketing (IPM), the UK trade body representing the promotional marketing industry, has announced the appointment of Paul Cope as its new Managing Director, to head the IPM’s Executive Team and lead the organisation forward. Cope joins with a heavyweight marketing career under his belt, having worked client and agency side, and has a wealth of promotional and integrated experience to add to the IPM’s talent base.

Cope’s appointment as Managing Director is announced as Carey Trevill steps down after three years in the role. Trevill will be taking on a new direction and leaves the organisation in the early summer. During this period, Cope and Trevill will work closely together to ensure a smooth handover for IPM Members and in the run up to the IPM’s legendary Awards night.

IPM Chairman John Sylvester says: “I would like to thank Carey for the tremendous contribution she has made to the IPM during her tenure.  She and her team have worked tirelessly serving our members and keeping the IPM aligned with the rapid change we have seen in the industry over recent years.  On a personal note, it has been a great pleasure working alongside Carey and I wish her every success with her future plans.”

Sylvester adds: “I am delighted to welcome Paul to the helm.  His knowledge, expertise and experience makes him ideally placed to take the IPM forward and continue the momentum that has built up over the last few years.”

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Multi-award winning independent brand experience agency ignis has appointed Asha Kanhai as Business Development Manager.

Kanhai has worked in the marketing industry for 15 years. Her experience covers time at agencies including Field Day (formerly Arnold KLP), The Marketing Store and Summit, as well as a previous stint at ignis. She has worked on brands including 7UP, Fruit Shoot, Mars, Mattessons Fridge Raiders and Bordeaux wines.

Stephanie Whitaker, Managing Director of ignis, says: “We are absolutely thrilled to have Asha back.  Her role is to continue nurturing new business connections across a client portfolio she is already familiar with as well as developing new client relationships.”

ignis is a multi-award winning independent brand experience agency based in Fulham. Over its 29-year history, it has worked for a wide range of clients ranging from Jameson Whiskey, Sheraton Hotels and Fuller’s to Betfair and Cuticura. A member of the Institute of Promotional Marketing, ignis won two Gold trophies and a Silver for its #JamesonBeOriginal360 experience work for Pernod Ricard Travel Retail and Jameson in the IPM Awards 2017; the same campaign then went on to win a Silver and a Bronze in the pan-European IMC Awards.

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Brand experience specialist BD Network has appointed Anna Stennett as Business Director to support its continued growth.

Stennett’s career spans roles at brand experience agency BEcause, Sense London and, most recently, A Little Bird, where she played a significant role in client development as well as elevating the company’s profile. She has a wealth of experience in the areas of business development, strategic marketing and client relationships.

At BD Network, she will spearhead new business efforts, nurture strong relationships with both existing and prospective clients and help the business to continue to deliver strategic thinking and creative solutions that help clients achieve the big goals they have for their projects.

Allan McLaughlin, CEO of BD Network, says: “Delivering big creative ideas that connect the many touchpoints of the customer experience is what BD Network does best, and we are delighted that Anna shares our vision in achieving this. With her wealth of experience in both client expertise and business development, she will be of significant value as we continue to establish the company as one of the leading integrated creative agency’s in the UK.”

Anna Stennett adds: “I was drawn to BD Network because of its culture and values. The agency is widely recognised for its innovation, and its laser focus on delivering tangible value and results for clients and consumers alike, and I really wanted to be a part of that. For me, it’s not just a career, it’s something that I’m passionate about and I look forward to helping with the further expansion of the business and team.”

Established in 1990 and based in the heart of Shoreditch, BD Network creates immersive and responsive brand experiences for a range of clients from the food industry to gaming.

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Brand Commerce agency KHWS has appointed Gary Brooks as Creative Director to strategically develop the agency’s proposition and support its ambitious growth targets.

Brooks brings over 20 years of industry experience to the agency and will be focusing on lifting its creative ambitions and developing the agency’s overall strategy to directly support new business acquisition and drive growth. Leading the agency’s creative output, he will play an important role in taking KHWS’s Brand Commerce clarity planning model to the next level.

Brooks joins the agency following a period as a creative consultant. Prior to this, he was Creative Director at WDMP, and before that held positions at OgilyAction, Arc Worldwide and OgilvyOne.

KHWS is committed to establishing its Brand Commerce approach as a point of difference for the agency, combining a research project with Durham University, ground-breaking technology and outstanding creative. Brooks will be a key part in the drive towards ensuring that Brand Commerce campaigns are practical and have a tangible, positive impact on clients’ bottom lines.

Gary Brooks, Creative Director at KHWS, says: “Having spent my career moving between network and independent agencies – and for a period working as a creative consultant directly for clients – I’ve recognised the potential of Brand Commerce to alter the marketing landscape for brands. Much of marketing is based upon behavioural science, but it’s not necessarily labelled as such. Brand Commerce is particularly interesting as it helps brands and retailers understand the why behind the decision-making process, not just the how. I am looking forward to being able to develop this approach with a creative strategy that will allow us to deliver outstanding and effective work for existing and new clients.”

Andrew Watts, Founding Partner at KHWS, observes: “Gary’s breadth of experience across direct, CRM, shopper and activation agencies, and his time as a freelancer, means that he brings with him a wealth of knowledge that will be invaluable to KHWS. Gary’s strategic and creative approach, coupled with the research we are conducting with Durham will enable the agency to combine ambitious innovation with aesthetics and UX.”

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Cross-platform creative marketing and content agency Above+Beyond has made three new hires in its Strategy and Design teams, to work across the agency’s client base including Amazon, Betway, Meantime Brewing Company and Unilever.

Toby Steinberg joins Above+Beyond as Strategist to focus on developing branded content strategies for the agency’s client brands. He joins from Vice magazine’s creative agency Vertu, where he held the same title.

Ipar L’Aimable has been recruited by the agency as a Senior Content Creative, working across the business and reporting to Executive Creative Director Dave Billing. He joins from Hogarth Worldwide where he was Senior Broadcast and Content Creative. He has agency experience at McCann London and Adastra Creative and is won a BAFTA Children’s Award for BBC TV show ‘Grandpa in My Pocket’ and a D&AD Award for Momondo’s “Friend Compass”.

Greg Beer is Above+Beyond’s new Design Lead. He will work across the agency’s accounts and also report to Dave Billing. Greg joins Above+Beyond having previously worked at W+K, M&C Saatchi and TBWA. For the past 10 years, Greg has art directed and designed VeryNearlyAlmost, a quarterly magazine with global distribution which features the world’s best urban artists, illustrators and photographers.

The picture shows (l-r) Greg Beer, Ipar L’Aimable and Toby Steinberg.

Above+Beyond’s latest appointments are in line with the agency’s drive to hire creative talent from diverse backgrounds, in a quest to develop ideas that live in culture and bridge the ever-growing gulf between brands and audiences.

Zaid Al-Zaidy, CEO at Above+Beyond, says: “We had a great end to 2016 with a number of new client wins such as Unilever & Meantime Brewing Company, that have helped us build our team further. We’re delighted to welcome Ips, Greg and Toby on-board – each of them comes with a core skill and a set of wings adorned with beautiful feathers.”

Above + Beyond describes itself as “the creative agency for the audience age, bringing together diverse talents from the worlds of film, music, PR, branding and advertising, to help clients create enduring cultural connections between their brands and their audiences.”

The agency launched in September 2012 and in 2016 was listed at number 37 in Campaign’s Top 100 UK agencies.

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Opia, the international risk-managed sales promotions consultancy, has appointed Darryl Postelnick, former Microsoft Vice President of US Retail Sales as Sales Director for the North American market.

Postelnick has been recruited by Opia after a 15-year career at Microsoft, which he joined after eight years as Director of Sales at Disney’s Buena Vista Home Entertainment division.

At Microsoft, Postelnick was given the brief to assemble the team that would successfully launch the Xbox console, functioning as Director of Sales within the Xbox division for two years before moving into general management of all Microsoft consumer goods over a 10-year period. Most recently, Postelnick functioned as Vice President of US Retail Sales, managing a team of 80 employees and a $6 billion budget.

As Opia’s Sales Director, North America, Postelnick will bolster the fixed fee and risk management expert’s position in the US markets, leading sales efforts and scaling business through partner relationships, as well as identifying and developing key verticals to aid Opia’s growth in the US.

“Retailers are so used to running the same promotions all the time. Opia’s promotions are creative and accomplish the priorities of their partners,” Postelnick said. “Opia has the unique ability to address each client’s priorities in a way that is exciting and from outside the box.”

He added: “I think that Opia will become a turnkey solution in the electronic retailers’ toolkit. Opia provides solutions that solve the problems for a lot reputable global electronics brands, especially when it comes to addressing the refresh cycle. Being able to provide great sales promotions to give people the incentives to upgrade earlier is what attracted me to the company.”

Opia Managing Director Andrew Marwick observed: “Darryl is a proven industry leader who brings with him a wealth of experience and expertise that will prove instrumental in expanding our operations in the US. We’ve already collaborated with Darryl on a consultancy level and now we’re delighted to welcome him on board to head up our sales strategy in this incredible market. This is another great milestone for Opia.”

Opia is an industry expert in risk managed sales promotions, with a proven track record in results-driven business and consumer campaigns for brand owners in the hi-tech, telecoms, FMCG, retail and automotive sectors.

Supported by a 24/7 customer service team fluent in 18 languages, Opia’s global reach enables it to offer multilingual redemption campaigns in over 60 countries, including EMEA, North and South America and Asia-Pacific.

Opia was acquired by Australian media and entertainment company Village Roadshow Ltd (VRL) in December 2015. VRL bought 80% of the business for approximately £24 million. Opia Managing Director Andrew Marwick and Sales Director Steve Gales retained a 20% holding in the company and continue to run the business on a day-to-day basis. Opia became part of Village Roadshow’s Digital Division, together with Edge Loyalty Systems Pty Ltd, which VRL acquired in 2012.

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Freeman, the global provider of brand experiences, has appointed Brea Carter to the newly-created role of content manager and copywriter, in a move designed to enhance the company’s content marketing and news capabilities within the EMEA region.

Carter most recently worked at industry publication Event magazine, where, as news editor, she was responsible for covering event agency and experiential marketing news on a daily basis. Prior to this, Carter worked as a journalist across B2B and B2C print and online titles in Sydney, Australia.

Reporting into Sarah Mayo, Marketing Director EMEA, Carter will sit within the London-based agency team, and develop content in support of Freeman’s Expo and agency business, FreemanXP. Key responsibilities will include writing news, press releases, award entries and blogs for publication across Freeman’s website and social media platforms, as well as internal communications.

Sarah Mayo commented: “Brea will be a fantastic addition to the team, bringing with her a unique insight from her experience as a journalist, that will enhance our communication capabilities both internally and externally. We are very excited to have her join our highly creative, design-led brand experience team.”

“I am thrilled to be joining Freeman and FreemanXP during an exciting time of growth for the company in the EMEA region. I look forward to utilising my journalism background to build the reputation of both brands, by sharing the work that their talented teams produce across their respective industries and beyond.” added Carter.

Recognised by Advertising Age as the world’s largest brand experience company, Freeman creates integrated digital and live brand experiences to move markets, connect people, support growth and generate revenues for many of the world’s leading organizations.

A family- and employee-owned company, Freeman produces more than 5,000 expositions annually and 12,500 other events worldwide. FreemanXP uses the power of intersectional design thinking to create and deliver innovative, personalised brand experiences that drive results. It leverages Freeman’s experience, relationships and global resources to bring a whole new level of flexibility and scale to its clients’ programmes.

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Independent integrated marketing agency Toucan has appointed Kevin Frost, formerly Group Creative Director at Momentum London, as Creative Partner.

Frost has over 25 years experience within network and boutique agencies including Arc/Leo Burnett, FCB, LoweOpen and, most recently, Momentum London.

He was one of the founding partners of MullenLowe Open (formerly LoweOpen) where he was responsible for building the creative department and winning new clients such as Morrisons and SC Johnson. During his time at FCB, he established and built the shopper proposition across the Beiersdorf business within the UK and Northern Europe, along with launching the new look Lloyds Pharmacy European network and roll out.

At Momentum, he creatively led one of the agency’s largest clients, Sony Mobile, and helped to define its global expression in the marketplace along with its creative positioning and approach for all new worldwide product launches.

His background has been in multi-discipline agencies and he has worked across most sectors with key focus in the retail and shopper arena.

Gary Rapps, Managing Director of Toucan, commented ‘We have been aware of Kevin’s creative reputation for some time and are absolutely delighted that he has now decided to join us. I have no doubt that the experience he brings, balanced with our own 25 year history, will mark the start of another exciting agency chapter. Kevin is sure to play a fundamental role in helping both Toucan and its clients achieve their ambitions over the coming years and I personally can’t wait to get started.’

Frost said: ‘I truly believe we are in such times that clients are asking for a more personalised, nimble relationship with their agencies. One where we can work in partnership with the senior team on a day to day basis, adding true value to their business and understanding the challenges they face both commercially and creatively. Smaller independent agencies are structured to be able to provide this which is why I know Toucan is the perfect fit for me and the way I love to work.’

Frost officially joins the agency today, May 3rd 2016, to work across its whole client portfolio including Weight Watchers, Peperami, Nestlé, Bahlsen, Fruit Bowl and Bestway.

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Global brand experience agency Jack Morton Worldwide has made three key senior hires in its London office covering the agency’s core areas of client relationships and creative.

Dina Green is appointed as VP, business director and Andrew Thomas and Nate Thompson are appointed as creative directors. The appointments are effective immediately.

Dina Green (pictured) joins Jack Morton with nearly fifteen years of senior-level industry experience. From building her own successful agency, Dina went on to hold client and agency-side senior management roles. These roles have included managing director at inVNT, head of live at gyro and director of group events at Barclays PLC.

With nearly 20 years’ experience in the industry, Andrew has held senior creative roles at a number of agencies including Fold 7, Lowe, Pentland and Cheil. During this period he has worked with many leading brands including BMW, Range Rover, Coca Cola, Microsoft, Pepsi, Nike, Hugo Boss and XBOX.

Originally joining Jack Morton’s creative team in 2013, Nate has now been promoted to the role of creative director. During his time at Jack Morton, he has worked with many of the agency’s clients including Wella and Samsung. Prior to joining the agency, Nate worked with a diverse range of brands including Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, Jamie Oliver, Royal Bank of Scotland, Telefonica and Topshop.

Mike Kunheim, Managing Director, Jack Morton Worldwide, commented: “Client relationships and brave creative are at the heart of everything we believe in at Jack Morton, so these key appointments are a great boon to us and our clients. We’re super excited to both inject fresh talent and to grow our talent from within as we drive forward in our vision to create extraordinary experiences.”

Jack Morton Worldwide is an award-winning global brand experience agency delivering event marketing, promotional marketing, sponsorship marketing, digital, social, mobile and employee engagement. It is part of the Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc.

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