LONDON — Talker Tailor Trouble Maker has created two new roles, hiring former Freuds’ deputy managing director Jo Grierson as partner, and promoting Kim Allain (pictured) to be its creative lead.

Grierson joined the creative agency in January as its most senior hire yet, after six years at Freuds running the global Lexus, Toyota and McCain accounts. She had previously been a board director at Havas.

Allain, who has been with Talker Tailor for two years after working at Cake, and client side at Gucci and Selfridges, will be one of the youngest black female creative leads in the industry.

The new appointments follow a year of double-digit growth for Talker Tailor Trouble Maker, which was founded by Steve Strickland and Gary Wheeldon in 2016. The agency, which also recently unveiled a brand refresh, works with clients including Mastercard, Deliveroo, Pride in London and Burger & Lobster.

Strickland told the Holmes Report: “Jo worked with Gary and I at Freuds and we stayed in touch. She was looking to try something fresh and we’re now in a position to bring in a partner and a new client set. She’s a really good friend and an amazing professional and we are super-lucky. We don’t want to be a small agency, we want to change the world and be trouble-making everywhere, and she is part of that vision.”

And on Allain’s appointment, Strickland said: “Kim has always wanted to be a creative and we’ve grown in a way that means we can invest in people and makes their dreams more of a reality, rather than losing people who add so much to the business. There are not many young black female creatives in our industry, but one of the pillars of our business is to be the most diverse agency you’ve ever seen.”