Nathan McDonald steps down from We Are Social

Agency’s co-founder announces exit from the agency after 16 years of leadership

Nathan McDonald, the co-founder and group chief executive of global socially-led creative agency We Are Social, has announced that he will step down from the agency.

McDonald and Robin Grant founded We Are Social in 2008 as a new kind of agency with a social-first approach, having identified at an early stage the growing impact of social media on the wider media and marketing landscape. Currently employing 1300 people, it has become renowned for its award-winning strategic and creative social and influencer work for a large global client base, including Adidas, Samsung, Netflix, Audi, Booking.com, and more.

He leaves the business after having led its global growth into North America, Europe and Asia Pacific, making We Are Social the first, largest and most awarded social agency of its kind.

To ensure a smooth transition to new leadership at We Are Social, Brett Marchand, the chief executive of We Are Social’s parent company, Plus Company, will step in as interim group chief executive, with McDonald acting as a strategic advisor for the next six months.

McDonald and Grant founded We Are Social in London with one client – Skype – and a couple of laptops on a dining room table.The agency grew rapidly, attracting clients such as Ford, Unilever, Pernod Ricard and Coca-Cola. By 2010 it had launched offices in Paris, Milan, and Sydney, without external investment. In 2013, with We Are Social was acquired by  BlueFocus Communication Group, and in 2021 CVC Capital Partners, one of Europe’s largest private equity firms, acquired a majority stake in the agency. As a result of this, We Are Social is now part of the Plus Company network.

McDonald commented: “Founding, leading and growing We Are Social has been an incredible journey. I have immense pride and incredible gratitude to our entire global team past and present for all that we’ve achieved. We’ve grown from a small, ambitious team into a global network, shaping culture and redefining how some of the world’s biggest brands connect with people. Looking at where we are today, I feel like it’s the right time for me to start a new adventure, leaving We Are Social in the safe hands of our talented leadership team.”

Marchand commented: “Nathan has built a world-class agency with a strong executive team, talented workforce, globally renowned brand and a long list of dynamic clients. We want to thank Nathan for his leadership, vision and unparalleled work ethic in making We Are Social what it is today and wish him all the best for the future. I look forward to working with its talented team to capitalise on the huge additional growth potential of the agency, as a global leader working with the world’s most forward thinking brands.”

Source: We Are Social

  Agency, Agency News, Nathan McDonald, We Are Social