Proximity chief gets Vertu CRM job

Vertu, the luxury mobile phone brand sported by Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Pierce Brosnan, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Madonna, has appointed Proximity director Louize Cronin as head of CRM.
Cronin, who was responsible for CRM strategic leadership and operational delivery for the Volkswagen UK account at the agency, joins this week.
She started her career at Southern Water in 1995 before leaving for Education & Youth to become a senior account manager working with brands including Speedo, BP, Tesco, BMW and the Royal Navy.
Cronin then switched back agency-side, spending 12 years working on the Jaguar account. She left in 2012 and then had spells at Lida and MRM Meteorite before joining Proximity last year.
CHI & Partners picked up a global brief to handle Vertu’s advertising, digital, social and CRM in July 2013, although it is understood to be poised to appoint a new dedicated direct agency in the coming weeks.
Vertu, which was sold by Nokia to private equity group EQT VI for an estimated $200m in October 2012, is based in Church Crookham, Hampshire and also has offices in New York, Dubai, Moscow and Paris. Its flagship model, the Signature Touch, retails at over £7,000 but that is a snip when compared with the new limited edition phone launched in collaboration with car maker Bentley.
The “Vertu for Bentley” provides instant access to a global network spanning hard-to-get restaurant reservations, vacations and last-minute theatre tickets. There is even a Vertu for Bentley app with wallpapers and a 3D Bentley-inspired clock. The smartphone also boasts surround-sound stereo speakers and, Vertu claims, a professional quality camera thanks to its partnership with Hasselblad. Handsets start at £11,100.

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