WPP's Brand Union Promotes Toby Southgate to Worldwide CEO

NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwired - Jun 1, 2015) - Brand Union, WPP's global brand strategy and design agency, today announced the promotion of Toby Southgate to Worldwide CEO, effective July 1. Toby will manage the growth of the global network while to continuing his responsibilities in the Americas. He will remain based in New York and will report to Simon Bolton, Group CEO of Brand Union and FITCH, the global retail design agency.

"Toby is a true professional in our industry and a trusted adviser to senior clients all around our network," said Bolton. "He has a unique thought process and leadership style that enables him to have compelling conversations with clients, prospects and talent alike. I have no doubt Toby has what it takes to step into this role on a worldwide stage and take Brand Union to the next level."

In this new role, Toby will be responsible for leading the growth of Brand Union across each of its 24 markets. He will manage all of Brand Union's international teams and lead collaboration with other WPP agencies, delivering on the group's 'horizontality' strategy.

"I love this business and I'm proud to be leading Brand Union beyond the traditional definition of branding. I'm delighted Simon has given me the chance to lead the network," said Southgate. "Brand Union is all about creating brilliantly designed and beautifully connected experiences for our clients and their brands. There is much more to come."

Toby brings extensive Brand Union experience to this role, having joined the agency in 2008. He has held a number of roles including Managing Director of Brand Union Middle East, CEO of Brand Union UK and most recently, CEO Americas. In his latest role, Toby helped grow the agency's footprint leading the acquisition of Epigram, a Brazilian brand and communications agency, in 2014.

Toby has been a key player in the agency's business development over the last seven years, bringing in major clients like The Coca-Cola Company, Vodafone, Shazam, GlaxoSmithKline and CBRE. 

According to CBRE Global Chief Marketing Officer Paul Suchman: "Toby's partnership and dedication to our business has been nothing short of outstanding. Under his leadership, Brand Union has helped us find a powerful global voice and significantly strengthen our brand equity in every market we serve."

ABOUT BRAND UNION
Brand Union is a leading WPP-owned global brand agency with deep expertise in brand strategy, design, brand management and employee engagement. Brand Union's network extends to more than 500 people in 24 locations, serving every major market, and partnering with clients to define, create, and curate the moments of interaction that are essential for brands to thrive today and tomorrow. Brand Union's clients include Bank of America, Reckitt Benckiser, Vodafone, GSK, Heineken, Pernod Ricard and South African Airways.