iris appoints Frood as planning director for Europe
July 23rd, 2009
iris has appointed John Frood to the newly created role of planning director for Europe, as the independent agency strengthens its regional management team.
Frood joins this month from Leo Burnett Group, where he was planning director for EMEA, responsible for driving integration across the group, which includes marketing services arm Arc. He will report into global executive planning director Sam Noble.
Frood, who brings 15 years’ planning experience gained at agencies including WWAV Rapp Collins and DDB, will be responsible for driving new and existing business among iris’ European clients – which include Sony Ericsson, Shell, Heineken and adidas – as well as managing 360 integrated campaigns and building a network of best-in-class planning talent at iris’ offices across Europe.
The statement hiring marks the next phase of iris’ European growth, which will see it target new markets such as Russia and Germany within the next year following the launch of its offices in Paris, Amsterdam and Munich in January. The aggressive European expansion drive comes as a result of increased demand from global clients such as Sony Ericsson and underpins iris’ strategy of establishing itself as the agency network model for the future, thanks to its independence and agility.
Sam Noble, global executive planning director at iris, said: “John’s personality, his experience, his brand and commercial acumen, and his ability to inspire breakthrough ideas for businesses in the world of the modern consumer makes him a fantastic addition to the agency’s leadership team. He’s exactly the sort of can-do, actionorientated strategist that we believe clients and agencies need more of.”
Frood said: “I joined iris because I was bowled over by the agency’s achievement and ambition. I’m looking forward to taking iris’ integration story to the next level and being part of an agency that does and will kill ‘the line’.”
Frood began his career in business and strategic consulting at WWAV Rapp Collins in 1996 as planning director for its London office, before being promoted to the European equivalent in 2004, when he also assumed the additional role of integration planner for WWAV’s advertising arm DDB. In 2006, he joined Leo Burnett Group as planning director for EMEA, where he led Leo Burnett’s global accounts such as Miller Genuine Draft and Barclays iShares, which became key accounts in driving the agency’s
integration story.