SocialChain brings in new ECD from VodafoneThree

Brave Bison-owned digital agency SocialChain is strengthening its creative leadership with the appointment of a new executive creative director as it looks to build on its next phase of growth.

Tom Fenwick-Smith joins from VodafoneThree, where he was senior conceptual creative and strategy social lead. Over the past five years, he has played a key role in growing Three Mobile’s social presence, helping make it one of the most engaged telcos on social in the UK.

He succeeds Mike Scott, who left in May after about 15 months in the role.

Fenwick-Smith will now lead the creative department across SocialChain and its sister agency Engage Digital Partners, reporting into SocialChain’s CEO, Jacinta Faul. His remit will focus on the agency’s creative ambition, developing talent and creating work that earns attention across culture, communities and platforms.

Social Chain was originally co-founded in 2014 by entrepreneur Steven Bartlett and Dominic McGregor; Brave Bison acquired the agency in February 2023 for an initial fee of £7.7m. The agency’s clients include Holland & Barrett, SharkNinja, Royal Mail, Apple Music, Microsoft, Spotify, McDonald’s, Disney, and 20th Century Fox.

Fenwick-Smith said: “I’m joining SocialChain because I believe the future of creativity belongs to teams that understand people, culture and platforms equally well. My role is to help elevate the creative ambition of the agency, develop world-class talent and create work that earns attention rather than simply buying it.

“SocialChain has the platform, the talent and the ambition to do that, and I’m excited to help lead the next stage of growth.”

Faul added: “Tom is exactly the kind of creative leader we were looking for as ECD. He’s built work that understands how people actually behave on social and combines creative excellence with tech know-how and strategic thinking.

“His work with Three showed how powerful social can be. As we continue to grow, Tom will play a major role in shaping the standard of the work, the ambition of the team and the next stage of SocialChain’s creative offer.”