Inspired Thinking Group (ITG), a marketing tech agency, has appointed former Leo Burnett CEO and Publicis Creative CEO Andrew Swinand as group chief executive officer (GCEO) to build on the company’s growth.
The appointment sees Simon Ward moving into a founder role, continuing to be an ambassador for ITG and adviser to Swinand.
“Having made the decision to step into a founder role, it was vital from my perspective to find the absolute best person to lead the group. Andrew shares our vision and is the perfect fit for our business and culture,” said Ward in a statement, adding that the marketing industry needs to modernize, and Swinand’s talents will help get the agency there.
Swinand has had a long career that includes roles at P&G, Starcom MediaVest Group and most recently as CEO of Leo Burnett and Publicis Creative in the U.S, He sees the opportunity to extend ITG’s end-to-end services arm, Team ITG, and marketing technology, Storyteq, as a platform to redefine the industry and update the way brands produce content.
“Having seen the challenges every brand is facing in producing scaled, high-quality content, I’m making the move to ITG because, quite simply, this company is the future of the industry. I don’t see anyone else with the ability to blend production, tech and creativity in the way that we do, enabling our clients to deliver better work on every channel at scale, at pace, and on budget,” said Swinand in a statement.
Supported by Darren Singer, group CFO, Sue Mountford, Team ITG CEO, and the senior leadership team at Storyteq, Swinand will work with clients including Jaguar Land Rover, Haleon, KFC, Heineken, M&S and Puma.
“Andrew was the outstanding choice to take over as GCEO at ITG alongside the brilliant team we’ve assembled,” added Ward.