LONDON — Social media specialist Battenhall has shaken up its senior leadership team as the agency looks to scale up its business globally.

Founder and managing director Drew Benvie (pictured, left) becomes global CEO, with a remit to spearhead the agency’s growth overseas.

Battenhall set up an US operation early last year and Benvie told the Holmes Report: “Over the past year we’ve been working for bigger global brands and doing more strategic work, and as global CEO I’ll be focused on building a team that enables us to grow quickly beyond London. The young US team is a work in progress and we also have clients in Asia and Europe, but our social specialism is crossing geographical and sector boundaries.”

In addition, Steph Bennett (pictured, centre), who has been with the agency for six years, is promoted from director, international to UK managing director.

Bennett said: “I’m going to be looking at how we can broaden our team skills, offer more deeply integrated services to an ever-expanding roster of world-renowned brands, and retain Battenhall’s authentic approach to communications for the social media age.”

Battenhall has also appointed Phil Sheard (pictured, right) to the newly-created role of director, product and innovation, to focus on the agency’s technology and IP. Sheard has been with the company for four years and has overseen the development of a range of proprietary technologies and digital client service offerings, including its voice specialism.

Sheard said: “Battenhall was founded with innovation at its heart, and my role is to drive and champion that spirit as our growth continues."

Bennett and Sheard will both report into Benvie, who set up the agency in 2013 and now leads a team of 55, working with clients including luxury pushchair brand Bugaboo and babycare technology company Owlet.

Benvie said: “Steph and Phil have been instrumental in our growth as an agency and their appointment as core members of our senior leadership team will help us to both scale and innovate at a new level. We have worked incredibly hard to build a team with diverse and highly specialised skills, and we have looked to foster new ways of working that drive both innovation and deliver strategically transformative results for our clients.”