VML UK appoints Cat Davis as Chief Marketing Officer
VML has announced the appointment of Cat Davis to the role of UK Chief Marketing Officer.
Davis brings more than 20 years of experience leading growth and marketing efforts across the UK’s creative agencies. Most recently she was Atomic London’s first CMO, and prior to this, held the role of Group Marketing Director at The MISSION Group. There, Davis led group-wide growth initiatives across 19 agencies spanning the full comms spectrum.
Earlier in her career, she served as CMO of Grey, Cheil, gyro, Carat and Fold7. In her new role, Davis will oversee growth strategy, reputation and marketing across the full VML UK spectrum – encompassing advertising, social, commerce, customer experience and tech transformation.
System1 appoints Kimberly Bastoni as Global Chief Commercial Officer
Global marketing research and effectiveness company System1 has announced the appointment of Kimberly Bastoni as Global Chief Commercial Officer (CCO). Bastoni has more than 25 years of leadership experience spanning advertising, innovation and brand research, enterprise sales, marketing and research technology.
Her career has seen her hold leadership roles at Kantar, MetrixLab, Qualtrics, and Alida (Vision Critical), where she has helped businesses to scale commercial teams, strengthen enterprise customer relationships and bring innovative research technologies to market. At Qualtrics, Bastoni helped to build the organisation’s brand tracking platform, giving her first-hand experience in what it takes to build and deliver research technology.
Search Theory welcomes its newest marketing executive
Search Theory, a new SEO agency that opened its doors earlier this year, has announced the appointment of Elisha Vernon as Senior Digital Marketing Executive. This latest addition marks the seventh hire at the agency since its official launch in April 2026.
Vernon began her career in digital marketing as an apprentice at digital marketing agency Candidsky, moving up to the role of Digital Marketing Executive in October 2025 before making the leap across to Search Theory in 2026.
In her new role, Vernon will support the agency’s digital marketing offering, working with brands to create engaging, distinctive content that improves visibility across channels.
Brian Anthony appointed VP Connected Creative Strategy, North America at Barrows Connected Store
Barrows Connected Store, a global platform for connected retail experiences, has appointed Brian Anthony as VP Connected Creative Strategy, North America. In his new role, Anthony will help retailers and brands to unlock the full potential of in-store retail media through innovative creative experiences, strategic storytelling, and performance-driven content.
An experienced creative leader, Anthony has previously held senior creative and design roles at Epsilon, Koddi, and CitrusAd and most recently spent more than a year supporting ITSRAPID as its Creative Strategy & AI Advisor.
As VP Connected Creative Strategy, North America, Anthony will lead the development of creative frameworks and strategic programs that help retailers and brands get the most from Barrows Connected Store’s technology platform, including advancing commerce-aware storytelling, and partnering with commercial, product, technology and client teams to transform retail intelligence into measurable business outcomes.
Jack Sleigh joins Jungle Creations as Chief Financial Officer
Social media agency Jungle Creations has strengthened its leadership team with the appointment of Jack Sleigh as Chief Financial Officer.
Sleigh joins from Inspired Thinking Group (ITG), where he was Group Finance Director. In his previous role, he led the finance function for the international, private equity-backed business, supporting growth, strategic investment and M&A activity across Europe, North America and New Zealand.
In his new role, Sleigh will report to Mallory Simmonds, Chief Executive Officer at Jungle, and lead the agency’s group-wide finance function. He brings more than a decade of financial experience to the role, with previous tenures at EIC Limited, RAC, and eTech Solutions Limited.
Ally Galbraith joins The Digital Lighthouse as Head of Delivery
Rapidly-expanding Newcastle agency The Digital Lighthouse has appointed Ally Galbraith as its new Head of Delivery, bringing the team to seven full-time members.
Galbraith joins the business from SaaS reporting company PolyBox, and previously spent more than 4 years at Mediaworks, first as Account Director before moving to become Head of Client Services and later Client Services Director. He also had a seven-year tenure at full-service digital agency Equator.
In his career, Galbraith has strategically advised the likes of Gleneagles, Odeon, Metro Bank, Malmaison, and PPG.
Lewis Moberly appoints Rob Jelly as Client Partnerships Director
Independent brand design consultancy Lewis Moberly has appointed Rob Jelly as Client Partnerships Director. In the new role, Jelly will help to drive growth across both new and existing client relationships, identifying new opportunities in close collaboration with the agency’s strategy, creative and leadership teams and ensuring that clients receive the highest level of strategic and creative support.
Jelly joins Lewis Moberly with experience in building long-term client relationships, developing new strategic partnerships and helping ambitious brands unlock commercial growth through creativity. His previous agencies include Otherway and Raw London.
CAA Executive Search adds six international executives
CAA Executive Search, a division of entertainment and sports agency Creative Artists Agency (CAA), has named Patrick Gallagher and Omar Abdo to the newly created positions of Head of Australia and New Zealand and Head of Middle East, respectively.
In addition, the agency has furthered its global footprint, adding three veteran search executives in its Munich office: Henrik Mook, Melina Schulmeister, and Sarah Kohrs; while Joseph French has joined as Partner in London.
SoD ScreenOnDemand builds UK team
Cross-screen advertising company SoD ScreenOnDemand is building a team in the UK. Dan Ward has joined in the newly-created role of Country Manager UK and will build the UK business and the local team from a London base, leading relationships with brands and media agencies in the market.
Ward brings around 20 years of experience in the UK media and digital market to the role. He joins from Seedtag, where he was most recently Deputy UK Country Manager, overseeing the GroupM, Independents and Ex.London agency teams. He joined Seedtag in 2020 as Agency Sales Director for GroupM and went on to become Group Sales Director. Prior to this, he spent 14 years agency-side, including six years at MediaCom London, where he rose to Associate Director and spent his final two and a half years on the leadership team for the Sky UK business; and earlier at OMD UK.
Scott Logie appointed Chair of Telephone Preference Service Board
The Telephone Preference Service (TPS), the UK’s official opt-out service for unsolicited live sales and marketing calls, has appointed Scott Logie as Chair of its Board.
Under Logie’s leadership, the TPS will focus on strengthening consumer awareness, supporting responsible marketing and ensuring the service continues to evolve to meet new challenges.
Logie brings extensive experience in customer engagement, digital transformation and responsible marketing, having held senior leadership positions across the technology, retail and customer experience sectors. As Chair, he will work closely with the Board and the DMA to raise the profile of the TPS and ensure it remains an effective safeguard for consumers in an increasingly digital world.
