YoungShand has announced the appointment of Claire Backhouse as its new strategy director.
Backhouse brings over 17 years’ experience to the role, taking it up after returning from an extended period in London. Most recently she was a senior strategist at Wunderman Thompson London.
Her agency experience is balanced with client-side roles including those at Cadbury, PlayStation, Red Bull and Universal Pictures.
About the new hire, Duncan Shand, co-founder and managing director of YoungShand says: “Claire’s modern branding approach fits perfectly with the style of work we’re looking to create. We believe in the power of brand building, coupled with what’s possible today through data and digital to create more engaging brand experiences. Claire will play a major role in helping us move our clients’ brands forward.”
Backhouse adds: “Getting to know your audiences and defining insights that inform creative is critical to delivering excellent results for brands. With today’s digital landscape, we have access to knowledge and insights that marketers in the past could only dream of.
“I’m excited about joining an agency that’s going in the right direction. The creative work they’ve produced this year has been really strong, and I’m looking forward to pushing this even further with the talented YS team.”
The appointment rounds off a good year for the agency, having won Oceania Healthcare and Hellers accounts. The agency also won the ‘Group of Humans’ award at the 2019 Stoppies event last week.
