LONDON- Blue State, the values-driven creative and campaigns agency, has announced the promotion of Hannah Johnson to managing director in the UK.
Johnson has been with the agency for three years and was previously business director. In her new role, she will be responsible for overseeing a growing team as well as campaign and market direction for the agency’s clients within political, public sector, consumer and non-profit organisations. She will also work closely with Blue State’s leadership in the US to drive the global business.
Johnson has worked with a host of blue-chip brands and non profits over her career, including Google, the UK Government, Co-op, Battersea Cats and Dogs Home and UNICEF at Blue State; the BBC, Red Bull, Netflix and Ben & Jerry’s beforehand. She held senior roles in agencies including Mission Media, Maynard Malone and We Are Social, before joining Blue State Digital in 2016 as group account director.
Johnson takes over the managing director role from Samir Patel, who has moved into the globally-focused position of chief innovation strategist. Patel will drive innovation in Blue State’s work both in the UK and globally, developing methodologies and thought leadership. He will also lead engagements with senior client stakeholders from organisations like Google, Lloyds Banking Group and Amnesty International. Both Johnson and Patel report into Ryan Seggel, Global Managing Director based in New York.
Johnson’s appointment marks a series of recent female office leadership announcements for the group following Amanda Darman-Allen as Washington MD and Katherine Mackenzie, MD of the newly opened Chicago office.
Ryan Seggel, Global Managing Director, said: “Hannah has incredible drive and a total passion for the work we do plus proven experience in leading and building teams. She’s a dynamic and experienced leader who will be able to guide our UK operations through the next stage of its growth.”
Hannah Johnson, managing director, UK said: “Blue State is a unique place to work; with a set of strong values that underpin everything from the way the business is run and the clients they work with, to how it treats its staff. We have a hugely talented team and an enviable client list, with some of the businesses, organisations and non-profits making the biggest difference in the world. The opportunity to lead a business like this doesn’t come around very often.”
For more information, contact Claire Foss at Waterfall PR [email protected] 07795 112 127
About Blue State
Blue State is a full service agency that uncovers attitudes, inspires action and strives for progress in the world. We help organisations tackle some of the biggest challenges of our time, always putting people at the centre of what our clients do. Whether it’s working on topics such as equality, migration, climate, community engagement, or brand purpose – we are an agency that understands the societal influences on audiences. We have in-depth methods that have helped counter disinformation, build trust, change attitudes, and drive action.
For us, this isn’t just work. It’s about real impact for real people. At Blue State, we’ve elected presidents (Barack Obama), changed laws (Freedom to Marry), resisted the far right (HOPE not hate), raised millions (Movember), transformed business purpose (Co-op), promoted the arts (Tate), created economic opportunity (Google) and innovated in marketing (Lloyds Banking Group).
We believe in continuous improvement, diversity and inclusivity, and progress – for our craft, for our organisation, for each of us individually, and for the things we care about.
We have offices in New York City, Washington DC, Chicago, London, Oakland, LA and Boston.