CTI Digital has appointed former WPP executive director, global people operations and transformation, Justin Bland as chief operating officer, while in a second high profile hire, former AppLearn global VP Laura Packwood also joins CTI as human resource director
Bland had left his LinkedIn followers on tenterhooks last month when he announced his departure from WPP, promising an update after taking “some time to decompress.”
The new hire brings 13 years’ experience in the marketing industry to CTI Digital, working at agencies such as Razorfish, R/GA, Essence, Wunderman and, most recently, WPP.
At Wunderman North America, he helped establish the operations practice and led the Design Kitchen business as MD of the SF office, focusing on social content creation. He then went on to design, launch and grow Essence and GroupM’s offshore product, scaling it to over 1,000 specialists in four countries within a two-year period.
Most recently, Bland was part of WPP’s Open-X team, partnering with Coca-Cola to drive its marketing transformation across the entire customer journey. He was a leadership team member who designed and built a brand new fully integrated studio operating model specifically for Coca-Cola, which included a 1,500-strong team deployed across nine global studios.
Bland said of the new role: “CTI is well positioned in the market to continue its track record of sustained success, and I look forward to helping accelerate its growth rate. Its core DNA, talent, tech capabilities, and proposition are all very strong, along with the opportunities to integrate client needs across the digital marketing ecosystem. I’m thrilled to join the outstanding team of people at CTI, and I look forward to partnering with the executive leadership to power the company through the next phase of its exciting journey.”
Bland will focus on agency client delivery, business growth and margin. He leads operations across the entire CTI portfolio, including its project management, facilities and IT teams. In addition, he will optimise the design and utilisation of the business’s talent and resources for maximum productivity and growth.
In the second new hire, Packwood joins CTI as human resource director and will sit as part of the agency’s Senior Leadership Team. Packwood joins from AppLearn, a global tech business that has recently undergone a successful sale. At AppLearn, she was global VP of people.
Packwood joins CTI at a time when the agency is reinvesting in its global people strategy and will be driving significant change to enhance the employee value proposition to ensure that CTI becomes a destination employer for digital talent across the UK and also internationally.
She said: “I am delighted to join CTI during this phase of growth. I’m looking forward to championing our incredible teams, nurturing their talents and fostering a culture of growth and innovation. It’s an exciting time to join CTI, and I’m optimistic about what we can achieve together with our employees.”
CTI CEO Chris Woodward added: “With the arrival of Justin, we have now completed the transformation of our executive leadership team in less than six months. Justin brings substantial international experience, and it is a testament to our organisation’s ambition that we can attract someone of his calibre. He will make a very fast impact on our organisation and benefit our people and clients.”
Turning to Packwood’s appointment, he said: “It is equally pleasing that Laura is joining us at this important moment; Laura also brings significant experience that will benefit our people and our clients as we seek to scale the business over the next two years. Her track record speaks for itself, and I look forward to working with Laura to build the strongest employee value proposition of any agency in the UK.”
