Brandon has made two key appointments to lead its new London studio, which will complement its Manchester business and support its commitment to global client partnerships as the studio now works across Europe, North America and the Middle East.
Kate Zilio joins at the new Farringdon office as client partner, and Ian Watts as creative director, reinforcing Brandon’s dedication to delivering innovative and impactful creative strategies to its growing international partnerships.
Zilio, formerly Client Services Director at 1HQ, has an impressive track record in leading high-profile client partnerships and a keen understanding of driving commercial growth. She joins Brandon with 18 years’ experience working in London and New York in some of the industry’s leading strategic brand and design consultancies.
She has led brand initiatives for clients such as Tesco, ConAgra, Nestlé, The Coca-Cola Company, Groupe Bel, KraftHeinz and Pfizer.
Watts also joins Brandon from 1HQ and brings with him over 15 years’ experience in the creative industry. Prior to this, Ian spent 10 years at Design Bridge in London and Singapore, where he led global design initiatives for the likes of Unilever, Friesland Campina, Lipton and Reckitt Benckiser.
Ian’s passion lies in uncovering and articulating brand storytelling in distinctive and engaging ways, enabling brands to unleash the full potential of design.
The pair said in a joint statement: “We are immensely proud to be leading the charge for Brandon’s London studio. Each time we met with Richard and the Brandon team, we were hugely excited by the passion and vision that everyone has for the business. We are thrilled to join such a talented team and be part of this exciting next chapter in Brandon’s growth.”
Richard Taylor, founder of Brandon, added: “We are delighted to welcome Kate and Ian into the Brandon family at this exciting time in our history. In the last two years we’ve grown at speed, with a key strategic focus to grow beyond our North of England heartland.
“That strategy has led to a number of high profile multi-national client partnerships and opening up in the capital is the next exciting stage of our journey. Not only to support the client partners based in London, but to also open up the much bigger creative talent pool in the city. So, it was the perfect time to invest in our people and partnerships as we embark on our next 3-year growth plan.”
