Independent creative PR agency FORWARD has announced the appointment of Lewis Shields to the newly created position of head of strategy and growth.
The appointment follows the launch of FORWARD’s new business vision, strategy and brand identity in 2021 and is a significant hire to help deliver the business’s growth plans.
From L to R: Lewis Shields, Caroline Lovejoy and Fergus Kibble
Shields will be a member of the agency’s senior executive team.
Shields joins FORWARD from Herd MSL, where he was their first social hire.
Over eight years he grew the agency’s social and content marketing practice with clients, including P&G, Telstra, Gumtree and ING.
This included founding specialist social, content and influencer agency Touch Creative under Herd MSL.
Notably, Shields was also a partner of Herd MSL when it was sold to Publicis in 2017.
Shield’s appointment will strengthen FORWARD’s strategy offering and focus on digital brand experience and the opportunities arising in Social Commerce.
Lewis will report to founder and managing director Fergus Kibble and work alongside GM, Caroline Lovejoy to build on the agency’s strong track record of disruptive brand campaigns.
Kibble said, “We are thrilled to have Lewis joining our team with a clear remit to accelerate our agency’s growth trajectory, expand our social and digital offering and continue to deliver best in class consultancy to our clients.”
“Lewis brings a wealth of knowledge and wisdom to the agency and has hit the ground running.”
Shields added, “I was attracted to FORWARD by the opportunity to work in an agency that’s pushing itself and its clients to think differently about brand communications and the future consumer.”
“The agency’s track record speaks for itself, and I’m looking forward to playing a role in its acceleration and expansion.”
Shields brings 15 years of international content marketing and social media experience.
He is an MA in Social Anthropology from the University of St Andrews (Scotland) and also participated in the 2021 cohort at The Marketing Academy.
As part of their 2022 growth plan, FORWARD is recruiting for several roles, including senior account executives, account managers, and an account director.
