LONDON — Cirkle has promoted Ruth Kieran, who has been managing director of the consumer agency for the past two years, to CEO.

Leading Cirkle’s 40-strong employee-owned business – whose clients include Morrisons, Aquafresh, Ferrero, Walkers and Mr Kipling – Kieran will head up the board and report into chairman Caroline Kinsey.

Since Kieran joined in February 2018 from Text 100, where she was deputy MD, the agency has seen double-digit growth, expanded its retail division with new clients including Caffè Nero and Pets at Home, and grown its food and drink brand portfolio with Birds Eye, Gu, Goodfella’s, Aunt Bessie’s, Britvic (J20, Robinsons, Purdey’s, Pepsi Max), Urban Fruit and Bear.

Kieran told PRovoke Media she was “ambitious” for the future of the agency: “We’ve got some great new wins to announce soon, the team are motoring, and we’re in a really strong position with our commercials and talent. My priorities are to look at opportunities to grow the business, where we need to bolster the team – our digital capabilities in particular – and bedding in new clients.”

She added that she was reviewing senior roles within the agency to assess whether there will be a new MD role: “We’re looking at the management team, but we have a really strong group of directors and I’m asking people to step up and support me more on the day-to-day, so I can look more at the growing business.”

Kinsey said: “Ruth’s calm, unflappable style, coupled with her vision and drive for success, inspires the team to bring their best selves to work every day, resulting in outstanding team and client retention. Ruth has consistently demonstrated exceptional leadership skills, and I know Cirkle is in the safest of hands to continue on its incredible trajectory.”

As well as sitting on the advisory board of the Marketing Agencies Advisory Group and chairing its diversity group, Kieran will continue to spearhead Cirkle’s ‘Diversity of Thought’ initiatives through partnerships with Career Ready, the PRCA’s Schools Outreach programme and BME PR Pro’s Blueprint Advisory Board.