Creative Entrepreneur and Growth Strategist
appointed UK Leader for Grey Group
LONDON, Sept. 27,
2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Grey London has appointed Conrad Persons as its new President. Conrad will
report to Grey Global CEO, Laura
Maness.
Laura Maness said: "Conrad is an
entrepreneurial, thoughtful, collaborative, compassionate leader
and true team builder with an extraordinary ability to leverage the
power of creativity to unlock new sources of growth. Whether it's
strategically identifying new audiences, creating new products and
brand experiences, or designing business models that better balance
the triple bottom line of people, planet and profit—he's known for
his versatility, inclusivity and ability to rapidly simplify the
complex and ruthlessly prioritise the actions that will drive the
most valuable impact. Mash—the studio he co-founded—was known as an
indispensable growth engine for clients, and that's exactly the
type of leadership, ingenuity and outsized value we aim to bring to
our clients."
On his appointment, Conrad said: "I am honored and excited to
join the dynamic team at Grey London. Grey's commitment to creative
excellence aligns perfectly with my own passion for innovative,
solution-first ideas. Together, we will continue to push boundaries
and create exceptional work for our clients and the audiences we
serve."
Global Chief Creative Officer, Gabriel
Schmitt, adds: "Conrad's infectious energy, humility, and
sense of humor puts teams and clients at ease. When he's not
rolling up his sleeves in the boardroom solving strategic business
challenges, you'll find him authoring fiction or spending time with
his three amazing kids. His performance and track record proved
he's the real deal, and I'm excited for our people and our clients
in the UK and around the world to feel his impact alongside the
incredibly strong team we've assembled in London."
Conrad's appointment is one of the first executive hires
jointly-made by Laura Maness and
Gabriel Schmitt. Conrad brings with
him a wealth of global experience as a former co-founder and CEO,
and in recent years served as a highly sought-after business
strategist leading complex organisations through massive cycles of
change and transformation. His impressive track record includes
helping some of the world's most recognised brands, such as Amazon,
Ben and Jerry's, and EY, harness the power of creativity to drive
business growth.
Conrad's impressive career is a testament to his robust
international experience, significantly contributing to key global
hubs. His global footprint expanded when he ventured to
Tokyo, founding a groundbreaking
strategy unit at Ogilvy Japan, catering to esteemed clients like
Baidu, KFC, and AMEX. He was a founding member of Clear M&C
Saatchi in New York, where he
played a pivotal role in nurturing the business, shaping its
culture, and building a talented team. He co-founded and led Mash,
an influential strategy agency based in London, which rapidly expanded with a second
studio in New York.
Mash worked with clients across more than 20 markets, including
the United States, China, India,
Singapore, Indonesia, and most of Europe. The Asia-Pacific region held particular
significance for Conrad, serving as a ground for cultural insights,
innovation in product development, and brand expansion.
Under his leadership, Mash established itself with four distinct
business services—insight, growth strategy, innovation, and
creative brand transformation. With an enviable client roster
including Johnson & Johnson, Samsung, Unilever, PepsiCo,
Vodafone, and Warner Music Group, the studio achieved remarkable
success in a short period of time, and was acquired by WPP in 2018.
Notably, for two consecutive years under Conrad's leadership
post-acquisition, Mash boasted an 85% employee retention rate of
its original staff. Most recently, Conrad served as Global
Strategist at WPP and considers London home after 15 years.
A business-and-people-first leader who takes pride in building a
healthy commercial organisation and strong culture simultaneously,
Conrad also serves as a mentor to many creatives and strategists in
the industry, and has recently founded a scholarship in the US to
make education more accessible to underrepresented groups.
About Grey Group
Grey's mission is to create Famously
Effective ideas that move people, business and the world
forward—harnessing the power of creativity to solve business
problems and deliver growth for the world's most influential brands
and companies such as Procter & Gamble, Volvo,
Haleon, Kellogg's, Applebee's, Modelo, The Coca-Cola Company, TUMI,
and the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. Grey is proud
to be part of AKQA Group—an international family of autonomous
agencies with shared values and an independent mindset, backed by
WPP (NYSE: WPP). In recent years, Grey has won a Grand Effie in
every market it operates; has been named a Top 100 Global Most
Loved Workplace; ADWEEK'S "Global Agency of the Year" twice;
ADVERTISING AGE's "Agency of the Year" and CAMPAIGN magazine's
"Global Network of the Year" in recognition of its creative and
business performance.
Contact
Alice Norcia
alice.norcia@grey.com
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SOURCE Grey Group