Manifest has announced the appointment of two new non-executive directors to support its continued propositional and geographical expansion.
Sarah Waddington CBE, director at Wadds Inc, and Ete Davies, chief operating officer of Dentsu Creative EMEA, add over four decades of experience to the independent unified creative agency’s senior leadership team, having held senior positions at some of the most well-respected agencies and creative institutions in the world.
Alex Myers, founder and group CEO at Manifest, said: “More than just experienced advisors, Sarah and Ete are industry progressives who are helping drive a more diverse, inclusive, and ethical creative industry — something that makes them a perfect fit for what we’re trying to achieve at Manifest. The coming year will see us continue to expand in terms of geography, team, and services so these appointments are part of us building the right leadership structure to make it all happen.”
Ete Davis
Davies has an impressive track record of delivering operational excellence and building strong and inclusive cultures whilst in leadership roles at top global creative agencies such as AnalogFolk and AKQA. His tenure as CEO of Engine Creative culminated with it being named as one of ‘Fast Company’s 100 Most Innovative Companies 2021’ — an ambition for Manifest Group.
Since Davies joined in 2022, Dentsu Creative EMEA has received six Agency of the Year titles in the Netherlands, Portugal, Nigeria, Italy and Poland.
In addition to his current COO role, he is also a non-executive director for Guardian Media Group, a Board Trustee for The Creative Foundation and a member of the Effies UK Council. His remit at Manifest includes advising on innovation and expansion projects, as well as mentorship for operational teams and scaling up Manifest’s 24-hour creative cycle, dubbed ‘No Sleep ‘til Brooklyn’.
Davies said of his new role: “Manifest is a new model of indy agency, and it’s an exciting challenge to help them achieve their vision of building a global unified creative operation. There’s a real culture of innovation and evolution here — and few independents have managed to build a successful global operation.”
Sarah Waddington
Sarah Waddington CBE, director at Wadds Inc will chair the regional leadership team of managing partners to facilitate global collaboration and Manifest’s continued focus on social impact creativity and was selected for her sterling record in advising management teams on sustainable growth and agency proposition.
Alongside her role at Wadds Inc, she is the founder of #FutureProof, a community committed to reasserting communications as a strategic management function, and co-founder of Socially Mobile, a not-for-profit PR training school helping under-represented groups increase their earning potential. Waddington’s career accolades include being past president of the CIPR, a PRCA Fellow, a member of the Northern Power Women’s Power List, and receiving a CBE in 2021 for contribution to PR and the voluntary sectors.
Waddington said: “I’ve followed Manifest on its journey for many years — emerging as one of the leading independent creative shops over the past decade. Their ambition and creativity is a real catalyst for exceptional work, and I’m very proud to play a part in the next chapter of the business as they continue to scale and diversify.”
With studios in Melbourne, London, Manchester, Stockholm, New York and Los Angeles, Manifest’s global client roster already includes some of the world’s biggest brands, including recent wins with Diageo, SC Johnson, Pernod Ricard, and Reckitt.
Alex Meyers
As a ‘Unified’ agency, the business delivers the full gamut of creative services across brand consultancy, creative development, and campaign delivery — all revolving around one central ‘Unifying Strategic Proposition’ for brands. Its new financial year began on August 1, and according to Myers, this could be its fastest year of growth yet.
“We are seeing fee growth in every area of our business right now, and recruiting in several positions across the group,” Myers said.
“We’re also entering the launch phase of a number of proprietary technologies that will help take both our creative work and our client experience to new levels. It’s an exciting time for the agency, and the perfect moment in our journey to be bringing in people of Sarah and Ete’s calibre,” he added.
–
Top image: Sarah Waddington and Ete Davies