ScienceMagic, the agency co-founded last year by former Guardian Media Group chief executive David Pemsel, has appointed Accenture Interactive’s Hannah Matthews as chief brand officer.
Matthews, who is known as Hattie, joined the four-year-old Karmarama in 2004 as account director and head of new business and has worked at the agency ever since. She became marketing director, group marketing director and managing partner, before taking on the additional role, in 2018, of growth lead Europe creative agencies at Accenture Interactive, which acquired Karmarama in 2016. She also sits on the global creative council at Accenture.
Joining ScienceMagic on 2 August, she will report directly to Pemsel, who is chief executive, and will lead the agency’s Brand team while collaborating with business leaders in its Science, Magic and Experience teams to grow the Brand business.
Pemsel said: “Since we launched ScienceMagic, our focus on creating real enduring value in connecting purposeful brands and talent with their communities is proving to be a very powerful formula. This can only be done with a fantastic team, working collaboratively, together.
“Hattie’s experience in connecting the power of strategic science, creative magic and digital and physical experience will supercharge our ability to further accelerate the growth of our business. As we emerge from the pandemic, all brands are having to evolve at pace, and I am very pleased to have Hattie join our world-class team.”
Matthews described it as a “dream” to be part of shaping the growth of a B-Corp – a certification for businesses that meet certain ethical criteria, which ScienceMagic shares with the likes of Havas London and And Rising.
“By bringing together brilliant and diverse talent, combining deep insight, digital experience and creative magic, we can help brands drive positive change and deliver new growth,” she said. “For our clients, it means they no longer need to manage multiple siloes, as we bring data, creativity and execution together. For our people, we want to create the best, purpose-driven place to work.”
Paying tribute to Matthews, Ben Bilboul, CEO of Karmarama and managing director of Accenture Interactive, added: “Hattie is Karmarama's longest serving employee and one of our brightest and best. She's been our best advocate, most passionate supporter and always the last to leave the dancefloor.
“More recently she's brought her magic to the world of Accenture, while finding time to train up a brilliant new generation at Karmarama under the leadership of Laura Vipond. We'll be gutted to see her go, but we'll be delighted to see her thrive in her new role. And in all likelihood, we'll still be able to hear her laugh from the other side of town.”
PR agency The Communications Store became part of ScienceMagic when Pemsel launched the business.
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