Tag Archives: people

Appointments, Marketing, PR and SEO, News

Studio BLUP, part of the LAB Group of agencies, promotes Laura Lane to Chief Marketing Officer as part of its ongoing growth plans

Studio BLUP, part of the LAB Group of agencies, has promoted Laura Lane to Chief Marketing Officer as part of its ongoing growth plans.

Laura has spent just over a year and a half freelancing at the agency to help manage client projects for the likes of Nerf and Reebok whilst also running her own personalised gift and visual storytelling business My Icon Story (myiconstory.com) where she has created product ranges for global brands including Mr Men, Lovehearts, Transport for London and the Natural History Museum.

Prior to this Laura worked for Wavemaker (previously MEC) for over six years, moving her way up from graduate to Creative Lead, where she worked for clients including Netflix, EE, Paramount Pictures, Peroni, Evian, Nivea, B&Q, Comparethemarket, Johnson & Johnson, Ferrero and TfL. In 2016 Laura was named one of Campaign’s 30 under 30 Rising Stars. She has also won a number of creative awards including a Young Cannes Lion and a D&AD Pencil & Webby Award for her work on Public Health England.

In her new position, Laura will be responsible for overseeing the marketing strategy across the agency, whether it’s the corporate brand positioning or building communities, creating unique content and initiatives to ‘stop the scroll’ and will focus on formalising and launching Studio BLUP’s in house talent network. She will also continue to develop the BLUP brand, managing agency events, product launches and collaborations.

She will work directly alongside BLUP’s Chief Creative Officer, Dines, and Chief Operating Officer, Alex Evans, as part of the leadership team.

Laura’s promotion comes three months after Studio BLUP joined the LAB Group whose portfolio now includes digital agencies VERJ, Riverr and Reflect Digital.

Dines, Chief Creative Officer and Co-Founder at Studio BLUP, said: “We’re really excited to have Laura on board.

“She adds great energy, creativity and strategic thinking, encouraging us to explore areas we have yet to develop.

“With her previous agency experience and running her own business, Laura’s new role as Chief Marketing Officer is the perfect opportunity to introduce a creative and strategic marketing plan for Studio BLUP – to elevate the agency to the next level.

“With the LAB Group merger, we want to represent Studio BLUP as a top agency in Europe.

“This new CMO role really signifies a change in our direction and professional approach. The time is now, the time is right.

“Due to COVID, the industry has been affected but we want to keep progressing.

“Laura can identify different angles for our marketing strategy that will position BLUP as leaders in the industry, including new areas of the business such as the BLUP50 Talent”

Laura Lane, new Chief Marketing Officer at Studio BLUP, said: “This promotion could not have come at a more exciting time and I know I’ll be able to make the greatest impact to Studio BLUP as a growing agency.

“Although I am not a founder, I hand on heart see BLUP as my own business so being promoted to Chief Marketing Officer only reinforces the ambitious journey BLUP are on and I’m thrilled to be shaping the agency’s direction.

“To me, BLUP isn’t work. It’s a collaborative mission to disrupt and shape the future of the creative industries by providing meaningful opportunities to the young creative talent we support.

“I’ve found my new work family.”

 

Creative News, News

LAB Group’s VERJ appoints Sabrina Duda as Head of User Experience as it builds team of best-in-class experts

VERJ, LAB Group’s behavioural science specialist agency, has appointed Sabrina Duda to the newly created role of Head of User Experience following its launch last month.

Duda joins from global digital agency Valtech, where she was Senior User Experience Consultant working on client’s projects including the NHS.

In her new role at VERJ, Duda will lead the agency’s user experience offering, overseeing design, delivery and innovation and creating a bridge between research and creative implementation of insights. She will also facilitate knowledge sharing throughout LAB Group, delivering behavioural research findings to its creatives and content creators.

Duda has more than 20 years’ experience in UX roles, with particular expertise in user-centred product development and user research. She has previously held positions at the Very Group, the UK Ministry of Justice and Experian. She is also a qualified psychologist, specialising in engineering psychology and cognitive ergonomics, and a regular speaker at industry events including the World Usability Congress, HCI International and UX Crunch.

In her new position, Duda will report to Jonny Tooze, CEO, LAB Group.

LAB Group announced the launch of two specialist agency brands, Riverr and VERJ, in September of this year. The move saw it elevate its existing LAB agency brand to group-level in order to offer a single point of entry for clients.

Jonny Tooze, CEO, LAB Group, said: “LAB Group walked a narrow path six years ago by focusing our agency on joining the dots between the world of behavioural sciences and digital. We did this to unlock bigger opportunities for our clients and answer the tough questions that traditional approaches struggled with. It was a decision that paid off, and now many agencies and organisations are following this path.

“Sabrina’s hire signals the next stage of evolution for LAB Group, and we’re very excited about her joining the team at VERJ. Sabrina has incredible credentials and expertise, which will lead the next generation of digital experiences, underpinned by her brilliant background in psychology, digital, and user experience.”

Sabrina Duda, Head of User Experience, LAB Group, added: “I am very excited to be joining VERJ and LAB Group. The group’s unique human approach and its combination of creativity, behavioural science and technology make this role the perfect match for me and my background.

“As a psychologist with over 20 years of experience in UX, I bring the user perspective to everything I do. Uncovering users’ hidden psychological motives, and observing and analysing their behaviour and pain points, creates successful products that fulfil users’ needs. When user needs drive product development, you can achieve the best possible outcome for customers and businesses alike.”

Appointments, Creative News, News

LAB Group appoints Valtech’s Matt Webb as Group Head of Digital

LAB Group has appointed Matt Webb to the newly created role of Group Head of Digital, following its recent launch of two specialist agency brands, Riverr and VERJ.

Webb joins from global digital agency Valtech, where he was Chief Technology Officer – Europe, overseeing major client initiatives and building its connected experience offering.

In his new role at LAB Group, Webb will be responsible for innovation and digital services across all of four of its agencies, with a particular focus on digital agency Riverr. As the technical leader for LAB Group, Webb will oversee the development of high-quality enterprise digital services, while also facilitating and inspiring innovative thinking.

Webb has more than 20 years’ experience in C-level technology roles at large digital agencies, with particular expertise in delivering global enterprise content management and ecommerce projects, as well as in data, microservices architecture, the Internet of Things, augmented and virtual reality, and artificial intelligence. He has previously held positions at agencies including JWT, HeathWallace and Mirum.

He is also the founder of innovation consultancy Maker Unleashed, which focusses on the charity and healthcare sectors, and he acts as an advisor to a number of start-ups.

Webb will report to Jonny Tooze, CEO, LAB Group and work closely with Andy Mason, who was recently promoted to the dual role of Chief Operating Officer, LAB Group and Managing Director, Riverr; and Harpreet Bushell, Chief Growth Officer, LAB Group.

Jonny Tooze, CEO, LAB Group, said: “We’re all hugely excited to have Matt on board as Group Head of Digital. It’s rare to find someone that has such a creative mind as well as being a proven technical leader. I’ve been in the digital arena for 20 years now and I’ve not met anyone with the experience and abilities that he has. Matt is joining an exceptional team of digital experts and behavioural scientists at LAB Group and will help work with brands who want to develop new and exciting ways to interact and engage with customers.”

Matt Webb, Group Head of Digital, LAB Group, added: “I’m super excited to be joining LAB Group at such an important stage in its evolution. I’ve been really impressed by the group’s depth of expertise in behavioural science and the fascinating projects they’re involved in. I’m very much looking forward to getting stuck in to what I love doing – leading, thinking, making and innovating.”

Creative News, News

LAB Group promotes Gemma Kane to Group Marketing Manager role as it seeks to push strengthened offering

LAB Group has promoted Gemma Kane to the newly-created role of Group Marketing Manager following a period of significant growth within the business.

Kane previously spent nearly two-and-a-half years in the client services and marketing teams at digital agency Reflect Digital, which was acquired by LAB Group in September 2019.

Following the recent acquisition of Studio BLUP, the elevation of the LAB brand to group-level and the launch of two specialist agency brands, VERJ and Riverr, LAB Group has promoted Kane to the new role in order to present LAB Group’s strengthened offering to the world while simultaneously promoting its individual agency brands.

She is tasked with coordinating group-level and agency marketing, helping to promote LAB Group and its agency brands via partnerships, PR, awards, events and outbound marketing activity.

Kane has 14 years of experience in marketing, specialising in client services and digital user experience. She has worked with a number of global brands including Sony Mobile, Yamaha Motor Europe and PayPal.

In her new role, Kane will report to Harpreet Bushell, Group Chief Growth Officer, LAB Group.

Harpreet Bushell, Group Chief Growth Officer, LAB Group, said: “As we enter the next phase of LAB Group, with four best-in-class agencies, we need someone who understands the overall LAB offering as well as each agency’s specialism, feeding everything we offer clients from human insights and experiences through to SEO into LAB Group’s own marketing. With her background in client services, UX and marketing, Gemma is the perfect fit. We know she will do a great job applying the same attention to detail and unique blend of behavioural sciences and creativity to LAB Group as we do for our clients.”

Gemma Kane, Group Marketing Manager, LAB Group, added: “It’s a privilege to be part of the core team that is shaping the future of the group, and I’m very excited about this next chapter. This is a challenging and important role at a pivotal moment for us.

“LAB Group’s vision of reshaping the digital world is very much aligned with my own ambition. I’m proud to be the person responsible for amplifying our story.”

Appointments, Creative News, Marketing, PR and SEO, News

LAB Group announces new leadership line-up following addition of Studio BLUP

LAB Group has announced a new leadership line-up following the recent addition of creative agency Studio BLUP to its portfolio.

The agency group has promoted current Finance Director Rachel Howe to the role of Group Chief Financial Officer, and current Talent and HR Manager Priya Unwith to the position of Group Head of People. Howe and Unwith make up the new leadership line-up along with Harpreet Bushell, who recently joined LAB Group as Group Chief Growth Officer from digital agency Valtech.

In her new role as Group Chief Financial Officer, Howe will be responsible for the group’s finance team, ensuring that all decisions made for the business are commercially sound. She will also support the financial growth of all LAB Group companies and roll out consistent processes and systems across the group.

As Group Head of People, Unwith will oversee people and talent for the group, covering everything from on-boarding new starters to implementing HR initiatives. She will advise and support LAB Group leaders on HR best practices as well as helping to attract and retain talent.

In Bushell’s role as Group Chief Growth Officer, which she took on in April of this year, she is responsible for the overall revenue growth of LAB Group’s agencies, with a key focus on digital business. She is working to help unite all of the group’s revenue earners with achievable targets, and to facilitate teamwork and collaboration.

LAB Group recently announced that creative agency Studio BLUP would be joining the group. The group also owns digital agencies LAB and Reflect Digital.

Jonny Tooze, CEO, LAB Group, said: “I’m delighted to announce our new leadership team at LAB Group. Harpreet, Priya and Rachel are outstanding leaders and represent our focus on what we view as the three key areas for agency success: great work, people first, and commerciality. This move will give all three of them greater ownership of their specialisms while enabling me to further focus my attention on LAB Group acquisitions and IP development, as we continue to grow both organically and in-organically.”

Rachel Howe, new Group Chief Financial Officer, LAB Group, said: “LAB has always been an exciting, high-energy company to work for, and it’s great to see like-minded companies such as Reflect Digital and Studio BLUP in the group, to help build on the fantastic service offering and culture that are already in place. I’m really looking forward to working on our growth strategy and building a financially robust and diverse group.”

Priya Unwith, new Group Chief People Officer, LAB Group, said: “It’s exciting to work for LAB Group, as it’s such a forward-thinking agency where people have the same common ground: an understanding of human behaviour, which is something which flows into how we develop our talent. I’ve always had a passion for ensuring that employees are happy, and a belief that our people and their development are vital for business success. Moving into this new role will really help me to instil this at a leadership level, enabling me to champion people initiatives and ensure that employee happiness is always central to any group-level business decisions.

“I’m looking forward to launching new programmes such as individual career development plans, which will be a step in the right direction to ensuring that we are championing our people’s growth and development at every stage.”

Harpreet Bushell, Group Chief Growth Officer, LAB Group, added: “At the heart of LAB Group is an understanding of people, what they want and what they don’t know they want. As the group and our specialisms grow, we can take psychology, neuroscience and behavioural economics principles and apply them to more and more channels and avenues, in order to better serve customers and grow businesses. As we adapt to the impact of a global pandemic, there’s never been a better time to harness our expertise in digital and human behaviour to make a difference to our clients and to society, more broadly.”