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The Guardian hires Natasha Murray as first director of client partnerships following commercial restructure

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By Jessica Goodfellow, Media Reporter

December 9, 2016 | 3 min read

Guardian News & Media has appointed Natasha Murray its first director of client partnerships as part of a restructure of the publisher’s commercial arm that has seen its sales force reordered into agency-facing teams.

Natasha Murray, director of client partnerships, The Guardian

Natasha Murray, director of client partnerships, The Guardian

Murray, formerly managing director at Havas Media, will lead the newly formed client partnerships team. The role forms part of the publisher's new commercial strategy that has seen its sales team reordered into agency-focused hubs, with specialists covering programmatic, branded content and account management. Guardian Labs, its branded content division, has been integrated into the main sales force as part of the changes.

Murray will report into chief revenue officer Hamish Nicklin. She leaves Havas after 16 years at the agency, and was responsible for the launch of Havas Media Manchester in November 2015.

The news comes just a day after the Guardian struck a landmark deal with youth media company Vice that will see the publisher sharing its investigative news, while taking advantage of Vice's video production skills. As part of the deal the two will create a joint production unit in the youth brand’s London office.

Murray said: “The Guardian is a world-class newsbrand I’ve always admired and I’m thrilled to be joining at such an exciting time. I can’t wait to get going and bring my experience and ideas to the team to create market-leading propositions that deliver tangible results.”

Commenting on the appointment, Nicklin said:“Natasha is a fantastic hire with insuppressible energy, industry acumen and impressive experience. I’m thrilled that she’ll be joining us to lead our client partnerships offering and deliver our market-leading Platform to Action proposition to the industry.”

Media The Guardian

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