LONDON — FleishmanHillard has created a new role, global managing director of consumer culture, for Lauren Winter, the agency’s EMEA head of brand and lifestyle.

As part of her new responsibilities – which are in addition to her EMEA and London practice leadership – Winter will counsel FleishmanHillard top global clients and client leaders on cultural and societal movements and themes, and the impact of culture on consumer behaviour and choices.

She will also support client teams “to put culture at the heart of communications and campaign strategy,” the agency said in a statement.

Since joining FleishmanHillard six years ago, Winter has built a brand practice of more than 40 practitioners in London, winning contracts with clients such as Bose, Unilever, Fitbit and Krispy Kreme.

She has also developed several new ideas and partnerships, including launching a youth and culture team, ensuring talent without academic qualifications can enter the workplace through FH’s Residency programme, a recent partnership with diverse model agency Zebedee, working with Gen Z trendspotters, and launching the first LGBTQ+ newswire.

Winter, who sits on the executive committee of FleishmanHillard’s London office said: “Someone once told me about the power of staying in one place to be able to implement change over time. With FH’s existing commitment to D&I, global reach and talent, I couldn’t think of anywhere better to make sure brands aren’t just reacting to the chaos we are seeing all around us, but actually understand how to use their spend and space for true change.

“Enabling culture and people ‘movements’ is what great brands are primed to do and I’m excited to help our clients realise this cultural potential with consumers on a much greater scale around the FH world”.

Candy Peterson, FleishmanHillard’s global brand practice lead, added that Winter’s appointment was “another step in understanding that culture is a key currency in the new world of marketing.”

She said: “Brands have moved their narrative much closer to what they ‘think’ consumers will respond to, but these can lack depth and validity. The nuances of culture that exist within – and that connect to – communities are often very complex. Inaccurate and generalized data threatens consumer alienation and, at worst, a brand’s reputation.

"Lauren and her cultural work across the globe has already seen game changing thinking and results and so I am very pleased that she is now taking the cultural reins more formally and that more of the firm’s client and teams will have access to that great expertise.”