Shantel
Stagwell (NASDAQ: STGW), the challenger network built to transform marketing, has appointed Helen Lafford as senior vice president, chief growth officer for the United Kingdom (U.K.) and Europe. Based in London, Helen will help shepherd international growth for the network, with the goal to spearhead cross-agency new business development in the region.
A 25-year industry veteran, Helen joins from global media agency Initiative, where she served as EMEA head of growth and led wins across major reviews including Nike EMEA, Arla, ING, Amazon, and AstraZeneca, spurring record-setting growth for the agency. Prior to that, Helen represented Publicis Groupe’s Blue 449 advertising agency on the founding team of Project Everyone, a nonprofit creative communications agency, providing global media support for the announcement of the 2015 United Nations Global Development Goals. She went on to serve as Blue 449’s global head of special projects prior to joining Initiative. And previously she was Business Director at Mindshare Worldwide, where she managed a wide portfolio of accounts from IBM, Nestlé, Mondelez, Kimberly Clark EMEA, Zegna and the global Rolex account.
“I love the diverse and exhilarating industry we work in and I’m delighted to join the most transformational and forward-thinking team in marketing as Stagwell’s Chief Growth Officer for U.K./Europe,” said Helen Lafford. “As Stagwell continues to expand and evolve its global remit, placing a dedicated focus and emphasis on the markets and regions, I am excited to work with a proven Growth Team and an illustrious roster of successful brands to further bring Stagwell U.K./Europe to life.”
“Beyond Helen’s stellar track record of landing and scaling some of the world’s most revered brands, she has the qualities that define the best leaders within our network: gracefully assertive, motivated by opportunity, supportive of our internal cultures, and a complementary partner,” said Stagwell EVP, Chief Marketing Officer Ryan Linder. “We’re excited for her leadership as we expand in Europe and the U.K.”
There are more than 2,000 employees in the Stagwell network across the U.K. and Europe, at agencies including 72andSunny, Allison + Partners, Anomaly, Assembly, Brand New Galaxy, Code and Theory, CPB London, Concentric, Forsman & Bodenfors, GALE, Goodstuff, Hunter, Ink, KWT Global, Locaria, National Research Group, and Northstar.
About Stagwell
Stagwell is the challenger network built to transform marketing. We deliver scaled creative performance for the world’s most ambitious brands, connecting culture-moving creativity with leading-edge technology to harmonize the art and science of marketing. Led by entrepreneurs, our 13,000+ specialists in 34+ countries are unified under a single purpose: to drive effectiveness and improve business results for their clients. Join us at www.stagwellglobal.com.
