LONDON — Global technology specialist The Hoffman Agency has made a number of new hires to its European team, as the agency eyes further expansion in the region.

Former Eulogy and MWW staffer Tom Broughton (pictured) joins as an associate director in the UK, while Violaine Bourquin joins as an account manager in France, from TBWA’s PR team, and Ludovica Ceschi joins as an account manager in Germany from Accenture. The three new hires bring Hoffman’s total headcount in Europe to 25.

The agency’s European managing director Mark Pinsent told PRovoke Media that the appointments had been made as part of plans to keep up momentum in the UK, French and German markets: “The first quarter of the year felt like it lacked a bit of dynamism in new business terms but we’re seeing more RFPs and RFIs as clients are getting through a period of uncertainty.

“It’s all about moving forward: good people at associate director level like Tom are hard to hire in the UK; Violaine is an important part of our plan to grow the business in France and, after the Eloquenza deal in Germany, we’re making sure there’s capacity for growth there as well with Ludovica. In every market we’re adding to our resource and strengthening our tight-knit team – it puts us in a good position for more growth this year.”

And Pinsent said the agency was looking at further expansion in Europe this year: “There are more opportunities to unlock. The Netherlands is definitely a market where there is potential for us, we already work with clients there and we’re looking for the right professional to help us put down our feet there. That’s probably the one market we’re interested in opening before year end. We also feel that the Middle East could be a logical place for us.”

Pinsent added that European growth was enabling The Hoffman Agency to compete as a global firm for bigger pitches: “It really feels like we’re moving forward as a global agency now we have a big enough presence in Europe. Part of our strategy for growth in the UK, Germany and France is that it it puts us in a much better place to participate in big global RFPs. We’re not wanting to get into competition for briefs that cover dozens of EMEA markets, but when a mid-to-large tech company wants North America, APAC and Europe, there’s not a tech agency in Europe that I wouldn’t happily pitch against.”

Of his new role, Broughton told PRovoke Media: “There’s an amazing growth trajectory at Hoffman, which you can see year-on-year globally and in Europe, and I want to be part of that momentum and help accelerate that growth. It has a great culture and collaboration, good clients and a real understanding of where we can deliver success. It’s also great to be back in a global agency.”