George P. Johnson strengthens leadership team with senior appointments
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George P. Johnson (GPJ) has announced the appointment of two senior hires – Kerstin Twachtmann as director of strategy and planning and Matthew Rickard as executive producer.
Twachtmann joins GPJ’s strategy and planning team having previously worked as Lead Strategist at AmazeRealise, where she was directly responsible for overseeing global brands, including Lexus, Pret A Manger, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and Nickelodeon. With a wealth of experience as a digital strategist, Twachtmann will add value in response to changing client demands and help expand GPJ’s strategic planning consultancy.
In particular, Twachtmann will help spearhead how IBM selects and invests in experience marketing, while pushing the boundaries on existing client projects. Her unique skillset will ensure IBM’s experience marketing strategy contributes more to the business and drives engagement with younger, more demanding professionals through live and digital experiences.
Rickard steps into his role on GPJ’s new integrated production team following more than a decade of industry experience, including time as Operations Director at Wonder London and Production Director at Cake Havas. He has worked on several global brands throughout his career, including EE, Google, YouTube, HSBC, Aston Martin and BBC3.
As an executive producer at GPJ, Rickard will be working into Fran Elliott, Head of Integrated Production, with responsibility for leading Cisco Live EMEAR, next taking place at The Fira in Barcelona in January 2020. His practical experience and creative talent will be used to help strengthen GPJ’s position in the marketplace and ensure the agency continues to deliver industry-leading events.
Jason Megson, VP, managing director, UK & Nordics GPJ,says: “ Kerstin and Matt joining the senior team, the latest in a long line of moves to bring in the industry’s ‘best and brightest’, demonstrates our commitment to continually improve both our talent pool and offering to clients.”
Kerstin Twachtmann, director of strategy and planning at GPJ, adds: “As a lover of technology, I’m thrilled to be working with GPJ on the IBM account, a company that has long been at the top of my client wish-list. There are few agencies in the world who can match GPJ’s scale and standing, I’m excited to join the team and bring my experience to the challenging experiential space.”
Matthew Rickard, executive producer at GPJ, comments: “GPJ is clearly an agency looking forward and embracing change. From the relocation of their office to Central London, to numerous skilled hires to the strengthening of the agency’s offering, I am so happy to be part of this growth. The opportunity to lead Cisco Live EMEAR is very exciting and brings together my experience in large scale, live event production as well as team management. I can’t wait to see what the future holds.”
