Tinuiti expands leadership in EMEA, affiliate, and social commerce
Independent media agency Tinuiti has announced three senior leadership hires: EJ Watson as Vice President, Client Partner, EMEA; Danay Escanaverino as Vice President, Affiliate Marketing; and Kellie Martin as Senior Director of Social Commerce. With decades of combined agency and brand-side experience, the new leaders will bring proven expertise in scaling high-impact programs for enterprise brands across global markets to their respective roles.
Based in the UK, EJ Watson will own senior client relationships and business outcomes for a pod of strategic accounts while serving as Tinuiti’s senior in-market client delivery leader in EMEA. Watson brings more than 20 years of global media, marketing and commercial leadership experience, driving growth for brands including Adidas, IKEA, Coca-Cola, AB InBev, Shell, Mondelēz and Cricket Australia. She most recently led global client portfolios at WPP Media, overseeing network connectivity, commercial operations, strategic planning and capability development across more than 50 markets.
A 25-year performance marketing veteran, Danay Escanaverino will lead Tinuiti’s affiliate practice, defining the next generation of performance-based partnerships as AI, privacy changes, and the shift from content to commerce reshape the space. Escanaverino has built and scaled partnership programs across agency, brand, publisher and consulting environments, leading teams of five to 60. She helped launch and scale an affiliate network through its merger into MediaWhiz, launched one of the first Latin America-focused affiliate networks at Filiado, and founded multicultural performance agency LunaSol Media, which she led for 12 years before a successful exit. She most recently advised Fortune 100 brands at Ebiquity.
Kellie Martin will lead Tinuiti’s TikTok Shop practice, driving innovation and best-in-class execution across social commerce. She will work with account and client partner teams to integrate TikTok Shop into client solutions, represent the practice in new business pitches and audits, and convey client needs to Tinuiti’s Product team. She joins Tinuiti from Zero To 1, where she led TikTok Shop channel strategy for brands including P&G, Nature Made, and Carpe. She previously led paid social strategy at Junction 37, following digital media roles at Viacom and iHeartMedia.
Digital Catapult appoints Jonathan Tudor as CEO
Research and technology organisation for frontier digital technologies Digital Catapult has announced the appointment of Jonathan Tudor as Chief Executive Officer, effective from 26 October 2026. Tudor takes on the role from David Bletso, who has been Interim CEO since April. David will resume his role as Digital Catapult’s Chief Financial Officer.
Digital Catapult’s R&D programmes represent national digital innovation infrastructure that can be utilised by commercial businesses. Tudor brings broad experience in the creation, commercialisation and funding of science and technology, most recently as an Investment Partner at the Clean Growth Fund. Prior to this, he was the Technology & Innovation Strategy Director at Centrica, a Managing Director at BP Ventures and Ventures Director at QinetiQ.
Veezu appoints former Zoopla Marketing VP as Chief Marketing Officer
Veezu, a Wales-founded private hire vehicle business that began in 2013, has appointed Joby Russell as Chief Marketing Officer. Joining from Zoopla, where he was Vice President of Marketing, Russell will lead Veezu’s brand, passenger marketing and driver-partner attraction as the business continues to grow across the UK.
Russell brings more than a decade of experience building consumer brands in competitive markets and taking start-ups and challenger businesses to the top of their sectors. At Zoopla, he conceived and delivered multichannel marketing campaigns which saw record levels of valuation requests. Russell also founded Glowday, a platform for connecting customers to aesthetic clinics and practitioners, and was Chief Marketing Officer at electric scooter company Pure Electric.
During his time at Confused.com, where he first served as Head of Advertising and later as Chief Marketing Officer, Russell oversaw the rebrand of the business and growth in market share of the motor insurance category. Following this, Russell took on the role of CMO at real estate challenger brand Purplebricks, where he helped to accelerate the business from small start-up to IPO.
M+C Saatchi appoints Tom Firth as CEO of its UK creative agency
M+C Saatchi Group UK has promoted Tom Firth, currently Group Chief Client Partner, to Chief Executive Officer of its UK Creative Agency. Reporting to UK Group Executive Chair Marcus Peffers, Firth will lead M+C Saatchi’s UK Creative Agency, overseeing its strategic direction, creative output, commercial performance, talent and leadership team.
Firth’s promotion comes as M+C Saatchi continues to simplify its UK structure and bring together its creative, consumer and citizen expertise. Starting as a graduate trainee, Firth has held various senior roles across the business, including Managing Director of the ad agency, CEO of M+C Saatchi Life, the Group’s sustainability division; and, most recently, UK Group Chief Client Partner. Alongside his executive responsibilities, he has served on the IPA Council since 2017, where he also chairs the Sustainability Action Group.
Firth has built a reputation for combining strategic thinking with creative problem solving, and his breadth of experience, deep understanding of the agency and ability to operate across disciplines will put him in a strong position to lead it forward.
Isabelle Girolami appointed as CEO of NatWest Commercial & Institutional
NatWest Group has announced that Isabelle Girolami, current Head of Corporate & Institutional Banking (CIB), will become Chief Executive Officer of Commercial & Institutional (C&I) and join the Group Executive Committee from 1 January 2027, subject to regulatory approval.
Girolami joined NatWest Group in 2025 as Head of Corporate & Institutional Banking. Since joining, she has played a key role in shaping and delivering the division’s strategy, supporting customers across large corporates, financial institutions, funds and sponsors. Prior to joining NatWest, Girolami was Chief Executive Officer of LCH Ltd and previously held a number of senior international leadership positions at Crédit Agricole CIB, Standard Chartered and BNP Paribas.
Jonathan Peberdy, current CEO of NatWest Markets, will become Head of CIB Ring-Fenced Bank (RFB). He will be succeeded by Walid Assaf as the new CEO of Markets, subject to regulatory approval. Assaf will join NatWest from Crédit Agricole CIB, where he led Global Markets Trading, and has 30 years of experience leading trading, franchise development and risk management across Europe, the Americas and Asia. Robert Begbie, current CEO of Commercial & Institutional, will become Executive Chair, Scotland and Senior Advisor, C&I. He will lead the Royal Bank of Scotland’s work in Scotland as it approaches its 300th anniversary next year.
Billion Dollar Boy Group appoints advisory board to support its next phase of growth
Creator and social marketing agency Billion Dollar Boy Group (BDB Group) has announced the appointment of its Advisory Board, bringing together five senior leaders with expertise spanning marketing and communications, technology and digital, private equity and M&A, financial strategy, brand entertainment and production.
Deirdre Findlay, Firdaous El Honsali, Nathan McDonald, Phil Wieland, and Hughie Phillips will advise BDB Group’s leadership team on strategic business decisions as the company looks to expand its impact, services, and global footprint. The Advisory Board will provide counsel across business strategy, innovation, financial planning, M&A activity, brand positioning, and more, helping BDB Group strengthen its business and continue to create long-term value for clients, creators and the wider business.
Deirdre Findlay, Founder and CEO of Apex Strategic Advisory, is a senior global marketing and commercial executive with experience across technology and consumer brands, media and retail, having held C-suite and senior leadership roles at Google, Stitch Fix and Condé Nast, and more. Firdaous El Honsali, currently Chief Marketing Officer at Noli, brings expertise in marketing, global communications, and purpose-led brand building, with a career spanning the consumer goods and beauty industries. She has held senior leadership roles at Unilever, L’Oréal, and The Body Shop, leading brand building, marketing, communications, and purpose-driven initiatives.
Nathan Macdonald is an entrepreneur and business leader with experience in scaling creative and digital agencies. As Co-Founder and Group CEO of We Are Social, he grew the company from a startup in 2008 into a business of more than 1,200 employees across 20 offices and led the business through two transactions: a strategic sale and then a private equity sale. Phil Wieland, Non Executive Chairman at Essenta, Centrient and Churches Fire, brings financial and operational leadership knowledge and experience, including as former Bain operating partner and holding the role of CEO at Diversey and CFO at Brakes UK.
Last but not least, as Founder and Managing Director of film production company MindsEye, Hughie Phillips brings timely experience and expertise in branded entertainment as the creator economy increasingly evolves long form content and integrates into traditional media.
W Mgmt welcomes Oscar East as PR & Talent Strategy Manager and Pip Gill as Sports Talent Manager
Boutique talent agency W Mgmt has appointed new team members Oscar East and Pip Gill to the team in the roles of PR & Talent Strategy Manager and Sports Talent Manager, respectively.
Oscar East joins the team to help develop W’s offering in the world of public relations. With more than 5 years’ experience in public relations and entertainment talent management, East has worked with major broadcasters including BBC, ITV, Netflix, Paramount, Sky, Warner Bros and more. He seeks to bring his expertise and strategic skills to provide W’s talent with new avenues for revenue and representation, introducing them to the world of mainstream media to help strengthen their talents’ future aspirations.
Pip Gill joins the team to strengthen the core sports team and bring her relationship building and negotiation skills to an already established team. Relocated from Sydney, Australia, Gill’s key skills lie in talent management, working across talent representation, creator partnerships and talent development. She has been the key contact for talent management for some of Australia’s leading sports creators, developing talent profiles, securing brand opportunities and driving growth across the creator landscape. Her key highlight stands as being the head of PR for Gatorade’s Run the Track activation at the Australian Grand Prix, leading PR initiatives and contributing to the execution of a high-profile brand activation.
