RocketMill has recruited Jellyfish's Thomas Byrne as chief executive, an appointment that sees him replace outgoing CEO and co-founder Sam Garrity.
The succession plan sees Garrity become chairman of the Brighton-based independent performance agency and run its employee share trust - ensuring the board runs the business "effectively and efficiently"; maintain its principles as a people-owned business; and working on key projects to "facilitate growth, smooth the distraction board."
Performance agency wants to quadruple in size within five years.
Byrne joins RocketMill this month from Jellyfish, where he spent less than a year. His former employer hired him along with Adam Guilfoyle of Dentsu-owned Merkle last summer, appointing Byrne to the position of executive vice president of agency services EMEA. The duo have been credited with helping to strengthen Merkle's presence in the EMEA region.
Prior to his three and a half years as Executive Vice President of Agency Services EMEA at flagship agency Merkle, he worked at Periscopix for 12 years, before becoming Vice President of Growth and Partnerships EMEA at Merkle Periscopix following the acquisition by Dentsu. Prior to that, he was Managing Director of Alchemi Consulting.
Employee-owned RocketMill, which ranked fifth in Campaign's Best Workplaces 2022 (Top 5 Midsize Companies), has 130 employees, all of whom earn a share of the profits each quarter.
Note:- my response read full article rocketMill recruits thomas byrne from jellyfish as ceo
RocketMill said that "despite numerous offers to buy RocketMill, we are committed to remaining independent and owned by our employees", a platform of "equity that allows us to attract top talent".
It plans to capitalize on its staff ownership status to attract the "best talent from our rivals", "to partner with the UK's most forward-thinking clients and become the UK's largest agency", Byrne said.
"In terms of scale, we don't envision a network-sized company, rather 500+ employees in three to five years, with a culture we're proud of, upholding EO values and placing a strong emphasis on focus on the UK market.
“Given the scale of our ambition and the fact that we have momentum, we believe this is the perfect time for us to add some firepower to our leadership team.”
Garrity added: "[Byrne] was literally our number one choice in the whole market. I've known Tom for over six years, I consider him the most brilliant person I've met in marketing, and everything equally important, he is a wonderful human.
"Tom's background speaks for itself. He was part of the senior management that led Periscopix from a team of 10 to around 400 and then sold that business to Merkle, leading their assault on Europe, the taking them to the top of the tree in terms of expertise and scale, before seeing them sold to Dentsu International.
"Tom saw the good and the bad throughout this journey, which made it easy for him to steer us in pursuit of our goals."
Employee share ownership platform
Byrne said he was drawn to the position of CEO of RocketMill for reasons such as his status as an employee.
He continued: "For many of us, Covid has offered a moment of reflection: what we do, who we do it with and why we do it has become more meaningful.
"In the context of our market and the fight for talent, the [employee share ownership platform] brings value to all stakeholders. Our competitors are publicly listed companies, putting shareholders first, or have sold to private equity, which means they prioritize quick returns for investors. We prioritize the well-being of our team and the performance of our clients."
Garrity and his brother, Ben, founded RocketMill in 2009.
The agency works with clients such as Dropbox and Kimberly-Clark. He has won numerous accolades including the aforementioned Campaign Best Workplaces, Sunday Times Best Workplaces and various performance and campaign awards.
Performance marketing has boomed over the past decade as brands have used data-driven advertising and digital communications to drive measurable business performance.
