CTI Digital brings in top duo to boost leadership team

CTI Digital has bolstered its senior team with two key hires as the business gears up for growth following a £25m investment from private equity firm Lloyds Development Capital (LDC).

Launched in 2003 by Nick Rhind, the CTI recently hired Oliver Agency UK group chief operating officer Chris Woodward (pictured, middle) as chief executive, taking over from Rhind who has moved across to drive M&A activity.

Having completed five acquisitions in the past three years, CTI has seen revenues rising to £18m in the last 18 months. Companies operating under the CTI Group umbrella now include CTI Digital, Supercharged Commerce, Stardotstar, Nublue, Ixis, Worship and Mosquito.

It employs 175 people across its offices in Manchester and Lancaster and works for Mind, the Arts Council, Durham University, Department of Health & Social Care, London Transport Museum and Merlin Entertainments.

First up, WPP executive Justin Bland (pictured, right) has been appointed chief operating officer with a brief to develop and enhance the delivery of work for CTI’s clients and improve operational performance across its suite of digital services.

Having working in business operations and finance roles at agencies including Razorfish, R/GA, Essence, Wunderman and GroupM, most recently, he was WPP global executive director of people, operations and transformation.

At Wunderman North America, Bland helped establish the operations practice and led the Design Kitchen business as MD of the San Francisco office, focusing on social content creation. He then went on to design, launch and grow Essence and GroupM’s offshore product, scaling it to over 1,000 specialists in four countries within a two-year period.

Most recently, Bland was part of WPP’s Open-X team, partnering with Coca-Cola to drive its marketing transformation across the entire customer journey. He was a leadership team member who designed and built a fully integrated studio operating model specifically for Coca-Cola, which included a 1,500-strong team deployed across nine global studios.

He said: “CTI is well positioned in the market to continue its track record of sustained success, and I look forward to helping accelerate its growth rate. Its core DNA, talent, tech capabilities, and proposition are all very strong, along with the opportunities to integrate client needs across the digital marketing ecosystem. I look forward to partnering with the executive leadership to power the company through the next phase of its journey.”

Bland will focus on agency client delivery, business growth and margin. He leads operations across the entire CTI portfolio, including its project management, facilities and IT teams. In addition, he will optimise the design and use of the business’s talent and resources for maximum productivity and growth.

Meanwhile, Laura Packwood (pictured, left) joins as human resource director and will sit as part of the agency’s senior leadership team. She joins from AppLearn – a global tech business that has recently undergone a successful sale – where she was global VP of people.

Packwood said: “I’m looking forward to championing our incredible teams, nurturing their talents and fostering a culture of growth and innovation. I’m optimistic about what we can achieve together with our employees.”

Chris Woodward said: “With the arrival of Justin, we have now completed the transformation of our executive leadership team in less than six months. Justin brings substantial international experience, and it is a testament to our organisation’s ambition that we can attract someone of his calibre. He will make a very fast impact on our organisation and benefit our people and clients.

“It is equally pleasing that Laura is joining us at this important moment; she also brings significant experience that will benefit our people and our clients as we seek to scale the business over the next two years. Her track record speaks for itself, and I look forward to working with her to build the strongest employee value proposition of any agency in the UK.”