Independent brand consultancy Mr B & Friends is officially open for business in London. The new location in the capital is the company’s second site as it eyes further growth this year.
Founded by CEO Simon Barbato in 2006, Mr B & Friends specialise in three core competencies: brand strategy, brand communications and employee experience. Today the agency works globally with clients including The LEGO Group, InterContinental Hotels Group, Convatec and Britvic, as well as UK based brands including OVO Energy, Persimmon Homes, Canada Life and Principality Building Society
Following a period of sustained growth that included the acquisition of SME focused branding studio FutureKings, Mr B & Friends London is a natural extension of the agency proposition. Headed up by Simon, and Executive Creative Director, Steve Anderson, the first client for the London office has been signed.
Steve joined the Mr B & Friends team after his agency FutureKings was acquired. Prior to that, he previously held the role of Group Creative Director at Smith & Milton, transforming brands including AXA, L&G and Warburtons. Earlier in his career Steve worked on global brands alongside Simon at Light & Coley.
Client Director, Rachel Dean, and Associate Strategy Director, Liam Smith will join in spearheading Mr B & Friends London, delivering brand expertise and outstanding client service across the business.
With more than 15 years’ agency experience, Rachel has successfully managed the delivery of numerous brand, comms and digital projects. Ranging from global leaders, such as GSK and Lloyds Bank, to start up challengers, such as The Evewell and Snaffling Pig, Rachel is skilled in working with clients in both B2B and B2C markets.
Liam joined Mr B & Friends in Bristol in 2016. He’s adept at brand development, campaign planning and employee experience strategy. With over a decade under his belt, Liam has worked with a variety of brands including Microsoft, IHG and Canada Life.
To mark the opening of the London office, the agency is hosting a sold out Employee Experience Masterclass at The Groucho Club in Soho on 29th February.
Steve says, “Mr B & Friends has already achieved an impressive reputation for delivering value for clients in all sectors through creative excellence and solid client relationships. I’m excited to be continuing to build that ambition further with our new, London-based office. We have an incredibly strong team and will be pooling our collective expertise to grow the agency’s capability on a wider scale.”
Simon says, “We’re delighted to be opening Mr B & Friends London. We’ve seen continued growth for the agency family over the last few years and with an increasing number of enquiries from organisations based around the capital it makes sense for us to continue our expansion here. The London team will be ensuring we deliver the same high level of brand strategy expertise and extraordinary creative that our clients have come to expect.”
With London up and running the agency will continue to pursue plans to open a US base in late 2024.
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