Wavemaker’s global chief strategy officer, Stuart Bowden, has taken on a wider role, adding product officer to his title to help link the agency’s planning culture closer to its tools, technology and platforms.
As global chief strategy and product officer for the WPP and GroupM company—which was named Adweek’s media agency of the year in February—Bowden will ensure clear communication between strategy and product. The move lets Wavemaker move faster in its connections between its technologists and client leaders.
“We’ve always been a very strategically driven agency with a deep commitment to understanding and shaping consumer experience journeys. This new joint leadership role makes it easier to put the very best tools and data systems straight into the hands of our strategists, the people who know how make the very best of use of them to grow our clients’ brands,” Bowden told Adweek.
Bowden has been a part of Wavemaker and MEC for over 10 years. He first led the strategic community in the U.K., then served as managing director for the U.K. business before becoming joint-CEO. He joined the global executive leadership five years ago as global CSO. Bowden has been one of the driving forces behind the re-launch of the agency after global CEO Toby Jenner’s arrival in September 2019. In the last 18 months he has also worked closely with our global consultancy leaders in data, content, analytics and technology.
“Stuart is one of our industry’s strongest strategic thinkers and a key contributor to Wavemaker’s recent success. I’m tremendously pleased that he’ll continue to play a key part in creating a bright future for us,” Jenner said in a statement.
Over the past year, Wavemaker has introduced a series of new technology products into its provocative planning platform, including Maximize, an AI-powered multi-audience planning tool, and the first integration of Amazon Advertising’s Overlapping Audiences API.
“Wavemaker loves change and it encourages ambition. I’m looking forward to being part of a team that is only just getting warmed up when it comes to transforming the way that the media industry creates value for clients. Inside our provocative planning system we’ve already developed and rolled out Maximize … and pioneered a unique partnership with Amazon, unlocking transformative planning insights,” Bowden said.
Bowden’s promotion comes after the recent appointments of ex-Accenture managing director Kathryn Spaeth as global chief transformation officer, Shipra Roy as global chief people, inclusion and culture officer and Helen Price as global chief investment officer.