23red hires managing director from CHI & Partners
Integrated agency 23red has appointed former CHI & Partners business director Tom Huxtable as managing director.
This is a newly created role that will see Huxtable bolster the existing management team and will oversee the London operation. He has been briefed to grow 23red in both public and private sectors, working alongside founding and managing partners Jane Asscher and Sean Kinmont.
Huxtable joined CHI as group account director in 2007. While there, he was integral to the broadening of the CHI RBS relationship. He also managed the Waterstones and English Heritage accounts and helped to secure the £8m Green Flag account.
23red private sector clients include Bacardi Ltd, Vodafone and Bid TV. It is also a COI roster agency, most notably as part of the government’s flagship Change4Life initiative for the Department of Health, as well as for the Department for Transport.
Huxtable commented: “I am in no doubt this is a great opportunity for me. The agency is regarded by the industry leaders as a hidden gem. It really values its people and my role will be to nurture an edgier culture and get people to really shout about their work. We have a solid foundation of industry thought leaders that excel in strategic thinking: my job is to ignite this. The real challenge will be to get 23red to stop hiding its light under a bushel.”
Jane Asscher, chairman and managing partner of 23red, added: “In October we will be 10 years old. Last year was our best to date with the agency growing by 30% and now, with Tom at the helm, we are going to build on this even further. This really is the dawning of a new age for us in which we can continue to build our integrated offering. He brings with him a real desire for growth and success that together we aim to extrapolate across the agency. The next decade heralds an era in which agencies must acknowledge the new consumer reality and create captivating brand ideas. We want 23red to lead the way.”