Maja Pawinska Sims 06 Sep 2023 // 10:18AM GMT
LONDON – Manifest has appointed two non-executive directors to support the agency as it continues to expand geographically and in its advertising, branding and design capabilities.
Ete Davies, chief operating officer of Dentsu Creative EMEA and Sarah Waddington, a director at agency advisory Wadds Inc, join Manifest’s senior leadership team.
Manifest founder and group CEO Alex Myers said: “More than just experienced advisors, Sarah and Ete are industry progressives who are helping drive a more diverse, inclusive, and ethical creative industry — something that makes them a perfect fit for what we’re trying to achieve at Manifest. The coming year will see us continue to expand in terms of geography, team, and services so these appointments are part of us building the right leadership structure to make it all happen.”
Davies has held leadership roles at global creative agencies such as AnalogFolk and AKQA. His tenure as CEO of Engine Creative culminated with it being named as one of ‘Fast Company’s 100 Most Innovative Companies 2021’. In addition to his COO role, Davies is also a non-executive director for Guardian Media Group, a board trustee for The Creative Foundation and a member of the Effies UK Council.
His remit at Manifest will include advising on innovation and expansion projects, as well as mentorship and scaling up Manifest’s 24-hour global creative cycle across its operations in London, Manchester, Stockholm, New York, Los Angeles, and Melbourne.
Davies said: “Manifest is a new model of indy agency, and it’s an exciting challenge to help them achieve their vision of building a global unified creative operation. There’s a real culture of innovation and evolution here — and few independents have managed to build a successful global operation.”
Waddington, who was selected for her experience in advising management teams on sustainable growth and agency proposition, will chair Manifest’s regional leadership team of managing partners, with a focus on global collaboration and social impact creativity.
Alongside her role at Wadds Inc, she is the founder of #FutureProof, a community committed to reasserting communications as a strategic management function, and co-founder of Socially Mobile, a not-for-profit PR training school helping under-represented groups increase their earning potential. Waddington was awarded a CBE for services to public relations and the voluntary sector in 2021.
Waddington said: “I’ve followed Manifest on its journey for many years — emerging as one of the leading independent creative shops over the past decade. Their ambition and creativity is a real catalyst for exceptional work, and I’m very proud to play a part in the next chapter of the business as they continue to scale and diversify.”
Manifest’s global client roster includes recent wins with Diageo, SC Johnson, Pernod Ricard, and Reckitt. Myers said he was anticipating the agency’s fastest year of growth yet: “We are seeing fee growth in every area of our business right now, and recruiting in several positions across the group. We’re also entering the launch phase of a number of proprietary technologies that will help take both our creative work and our client experience to new levels. It’s an exciting time for the agency, and the perfect moment in our journey to be bringing in people of Sarah and Ete’s calibre.”