He completes a management line-up that includes Philip Ley, the former BSkyB marketing director, who founded Branded four years ago, and Giles Thomas, the former Sega marketing chief.
The strategic marketing consultancy's clients include Yahoo!, Channel 4, RTE and the Lawn Tennis Association.
Herd was Bates' managing director from August 2001 until the agency's demise at the end of last year, when its Cordiant parent was acquired by Sir Martin Sorrell's WPP and its accounts divided among WPP group agencies.
Herd had been lined up to run a WPP-owned agency in Australia but was unable to reach an agreement on terms. Since then, he has been developing his own ad-funded TV and brand content ideas.
Herd said he had chosen to join Branded because it was "an extremely sparky and entrepreneurial place to work".
He added: "I love what Branded does and how it does it and it's a refreshing change from the more traditional agencies. It's fast, unpretentious and innovative, with a unique product that touches nearly every area of a brand's marketing activities."
Ley said that Herd would be "a brilliant addition to the marketing team".
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