McGrath joins Carat on June 16 after six years at St Luke's, where she has held a number of roles, including new-business director and, most recently, account director overseeing the COI brief.
McGrath will report to Martin Cass, head of communications planning at Carat.
"We are absolutely delighted to have someone of Sue's calibre joining us, she has a great reputation and will add real value to our clients," Cass said.
News of a senior appointment at Carat's planning team follows significant additions to its strategy team earlier in the year, when the agency appointed John Coll, previously at Diageo-owned Guinness UDV, as strategy director. Coll also joined the media shop's board.
According to McGrath: "Carat's reputation for strategic planning is second to none, and I am delighted to be joining at a time when the balance of power for clients' attention is changing."
Other appointments at Carat in recent months have included the former PHD Compass head of strategy Kate Rawlinson and MindShare's former Nike planner Steve Yeomans, who make up a strategy team of six, all at associate or board director level.
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