LONDON — Bibi Hilton, the former managing director of Golin London, is returning to the agency world to join Ketchum as chief client officer for global markets.

Hilton (pictured, right) left Golin after 13 years in 2020 and became global engagement director on the cross-agency Unilever account at parent company IPG.

She then moved to Creative Access, a social enterprise dedicated to improving diversity and inclusion across the creative industries, as communications director and was elevated to CEO in 2022. She was also president of networking organisation Women in PR from 2018 to 2021.

In her new role at Ketchum, Hilton’s remit covers client experience across all markets outside the US, including ensuring the agency’s focus on DEI is also an integral part of its work with clients.

Ketchum’s global markets CEO Jo-ann Robertson (pictured, left) told PRovoke Media: “I’ve admired Bibi for over a decade, first for the work she did at Golin and IPG and more recently at Creative Access; when we were on the Women in PR committee together I knew that one day I’d make sure we worked together.

“DEI is key to our client experience and excellence, and I want to make sure we are accelerating and embedding DEI at the heart of client experience. There was really only one person for the job. We had a thorough recruitment process but Bibi was the stand-out candidate from day one. She builds deep and meaningful relationships, by really listenening to colleagues and clients and what they need – there’s no ‘say-do gap’ with Bibi. That ability to truly listen first and act second is too often ignored.”

Robertson said Hilton would be working closely with her new UK CEO, Ruth Allchurch, who joins the agency in April: “I’m thrilled Bibi will be another senior leader in the Ketchum family; she and Ruth will be spending a lot of time together to make sure we are elevating client experience in our biggest market.”

Hilton told PRovoke Media: “Being away from the PR industry for a couple of years has widened my horizons and taught me such a lot. When I was running Golin, Ketchum was always the agency I had my eye on and I have admired Jo-ann as a progressive leader, who puts DEI at the heart of everything and is challenging and leading the industry. There is a sense of shared values – if I was going to come back to the industry, there was only one place I would go.”

She added: “My ambition is to heighten our clients’ experience and innovate: outside the US we are already doing great work, but it’s about how we take it to the next level, share learnings across markets and challenge some industry conventions around client experience. That’s really exciting. With a DEI lens, I’ll also be looking at how we build incredible teams for clients and ensure their growth."

The move follows the recent departure of Ketchum’s UK chief client officer Alicia Solanki to Team Lewis.

Robertson, who oversees Ketchum client experience globally, including the US, said Hilton’s appointment was a new role, as the first of two chief client officer roles for the agency: “While we’re renowned for long-term relationships, we don’t stand still. Bibi’s role will help me build and shape that, and bring a fresh perspective for the next era to our global markets, and I will also soon be appointing Ketchum’s first US chief client officer.”