Maja Pawinska Sims 15 Jan 2024 // 4:26AM GMT
BERLIN — Hotwire’s managing director of Continental Europe and co-managing director of the German business, Ute Hildebrandt, has been promoted to chief executive for the region. As a member of the global management team at Hotwire, Hildebrandt (pictured) – who joined the technology agency four years ago from German agency Rethink – will also develop global strategy, new products and services. Martin Opercan, who was co-managing director of the German business with Hildebrandt, has been named sole lead in Germany.
LONDON — Disney+ has appointed Caroline Farley as EMEA director of communications and social. Farley, a former MD at Fever PR, has spent the past year working as an independent for agencies including Red Havas and Tin Man, working with clients such as American Express, Jaguar Land Rover and Mondelez. She replaces Amy Holland, who was promoted to VP of corporate communications and social responsibility at The Walt Disney Company last October. In her new role, Farley will oversee communications, social and influencer for Disney+, as well as National Geographic in the UK, reporting to marketing VP Emma Quartly.
LONDON — Milk & Honey PR has appointed Kirsty Howe to the role of partner and head of ESG. Howe joins from Cognito, where she led ESG and financial services client portfolios as a director and built out the agency’s sustainability capabilities, leading global client services to expand the financial and professional services portfolio working with brands such as ING Bank, EY, Morningstar and the Voluntary Carbon Markets Integrity Initiative. In the newly-created role, Howe will be responsible for building Milk & Honey’s brand in the UK and continuing to spearhead ESG initiatives internationally, across the agency’s New York, Munich and Singapore offices.
LONDON — Boldspace has appointed Chloe Beckett to the position of strategy director. Beckett will be a senior figure in the agency’s brand building division, reporting directly to co-CEO, Nick Ford-Young. Beckett joins after five years at Hunter Design, where she led strategy for luxury, lifestyle and destination brands including Guinness, General Motors, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Thames Water, and Landsec. Boldspace’s brand building and creative services clients include luxury and travel brands One&Only and Virgin Limited Edition, and food and drink brands including TGI Fridays, Dodoni and Mallow & Marsh.
LONDON — Formula 1 team Williams Racing has appointed Craig Woodhouse to lead global communications strategy. He will work with senior leaders to oversee internal and external communications. Woodhouse was most recently director of communications at the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), where he led government communications for events including the coronation of King Charles, the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, and the Queen’s platinum jubilee. A former press secretary to Prime Minister Theresa May, he has also served as director of communications at the department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. Woodhouse also worked at Edelman, overseeing work for client Formula 1.
DUBAI — TrailRunner International has hired two new directors in UAE from Edelman, as it continues to expand in the region following the hire of Seth Hand, its new Middle East lead. Anan Ibrahim previously led Edelman’s UAE energy practice, where she oversaw the setup and growth of the firm’s energy portfolio, and led large-scale communications projects for clients participating at Expo 2020 and COP28. Before joining Edelman, Anan held an in-house role as head of media relations at the Emirates National Oil Company (ENOC) for six years. She also previously served in a variety of roles with global firms including Weber Shandwick and Golin. Christoph Diesch previously served as Edelman’s UAE head of technology. In addition, associate Hannah Guenther, who was based at TrailRunner in New York, has transitioned to the UAE to help serve clients and build the agency’s business in the region.