Values-led campaigns and creative agency Blue State has strengthened its senior teams in London and the US with a number of promotions and hires across all offices.
Lizi Zipser, formerly director of global strategy and insights, has become executive director of the London office. Hannah Johnson, formerly London managing director, has become executive director for global marketing and partnerships, reporting into the US management team.
Rob Trono moves from creative director to group creative director, while Melanie Trabi becomes group account director, from senior account director.
Nicky Wright rejoins Blue State after several years at Digitas and TH_NK, as group account director. Nathalie Ormond becomes deputy director, media and Mouna Kalla-Sacranie will be senior content and campaigns strategist.
Sam Niven joins Blue State as media strategist following a three-year stint at PHD where she worked on Macmillan Cancer Support and a range of automotive brands. Finally, Saskia van Berkel, who joins as senior media strategist after leading individual donor acquisition at the International Rescue Committee.
The promotions and hires in London come on the back of a growing client roster and notable client wins, including The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), ONE, WaterAid, UNESCO and UNICEF HQ. UNHCR, under Blue State’s stewardship, has grown from 12 to 25 markets since 2020.
Outside of the UK, Blue State is also growing and expanding across the US, seeing a year-over-year double digit growth and new client partnerships, including Oxfam America, Mercy Corps, Amnesty International USA and the Michael J. Fox Foundation. In response, Blue State’s four US offices have also expanded their fundraising expertise with six senior and specialist hires. This follows the news that the US offices collectively raised $26m for existing nonprofit clients in Q4 2021.
Lizi Zipser, executive director, London, said:
“Our clients are a mix of purpose-led businesses and charities/nonprofits, and the past two years have seen huge changes for both. The pandemic underlined the need in both sectors for specialised digital expertise, as both had to make a fast pivot to online. Fundraising in particular has really moved into this space and required very specialised digital fundraising expertise to get through this tricky time, and many are now looking to consolidate that experience.
“Our agency growth since 2019 has really reflected our expertise in this area, and these hires and promotions are a first step in our growth plans for 2022 and beyond.”
Hannah Johnson, global executive director, added:
“We’re now seeing a new trend in how we reach audiences. More than 55% of the work we deliver is now ‘global’ in nature, spanning 100+ countries to help brands and nonprofits understand how audiences, campaigns and strategies can scale.
“We want our teams to be able to mirror this, operating flexibly and strategically across all of our offices. The pandemic has made geography less important with the rise of virtual working, knowledge sharing and team building.
“At a time when the marketing and advertising industry is facing departures of talent and pressure from individuals for both work-life balance and deeper meaning in their work, we’re proud to be able to partner with leading causes and UN organisations to help create a tangible positive impact in the world.”
Source: Blue State
Blue State makes raft of senior promotions and hires in London and US following strong revenue growth added by newsroom on
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