Manifest Group has promoted Helen Kenny as its first global chief operating officer, responsible for the global brand communications group’s operational innovation while steering international expansion and service evolution.
Manifest’s founder and group chief executive, Alex Myers, said Kenny’s promotion comes as the independent group continues to grow and expand.
“As well as knowing the bones of Manifest, Helen is, without doubt, the most progressive operational brain I have met; passionate about innovation and disrupting the expected but often outmoded operational tropes of agency-land,” he added.
In the role, Kenny will ensure Manifest’s international workforce, spanning six studios and five time zones operating a 24-hour creative process, collaborates effectively as one global team.
From technology stack to service integration systems, Kenny will work closely with the agency’s all-female regional leadership team of managing partners to manage operational change and improvement, supported by Manifest’s non-executive directors, Ete Davies, Dentsu Creative EMEA chief operating officer, and Sarah Waddington CBE, director of Wadds. Inc, who were both appointed last summer.
See also: Manifest Group welcomes Sarah Waddington and Ete Davies
Kenny said she was looking forward to taking on the new role to support the group’s long-term growth and success.
“This year we’re supercharging our commitment to innovation and progress, so ensuring our global team can operate seamlessly and continue to evolve has never been more important,” she added.
Kenny joined the business in 2013 and worked across multiple specialisms including Creative Production, Client Experience and Operations in the UK, before moving to a Group role two years ago to support its international studios.
In the role of group special operations director, Kenny implemented new systems and processes, spanning learning and development, employee engagement, new business process, workflow management and finance.
Significantly at Manifest, the COO role will oversee the development of the agency’s proprietary technologies and innovations, including its omni-channel reporting platform, The Loop and its creator collaboration system, ROGER.
Myers said that Roger, The Loop, Toolkit.Global and other tech innovations are integral to Manifest’s service provision and its future proposition as an agency without borders.
“We continue to build technologies that advance our work and the potential of the industry, but in the coming years it’s our vision to roll these out as technology products in their own right for both agency and brand teams to adopt in their own work. Helen is the perfect choice to oversee that evolution,” Myer added.
Kenny’s appointment comes after a year of significant growth and expansion for Manifest, including opening its sixth studio in LA last year, which contributed to over 57% fee growth in its US operation in FY23.
In August 2023, it also launched its centralised branding unit, dedicated to delivering progressive brand strategy and design, which has exceeded its first-year targets in less than six months.
Manifest’s award-winning operation expanded its global client portfolio significantly in 2023, winning new briefs from a broad spectrum of global brands and brand houses including Diageo, SC Johnson, Reckitt, Tommee Tippee, Hotels.com, Pernod Ricard and Omio
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Top image: Helen Kenny