Kin + Carta recruits ex-Landor chief to unite agencies

Kin + Carta, the company which owns Amaze Realise, Edit and Incite, has created the role of chief connective officer and handed the job to former Landor Associates and Engine Group chief Charlie Wrench.
The group, which rebranded from St Ives in October, has recruited Wrench to work directly with the heads of Kin + Carta’s seven strategic businesses, which also include Hive, TAB and Solstice, to offer clients “seamless digital solutions” by overseeing bespoke teams for each client brief.
Wrench will report directly into Kin + Carta chief executive J Schwan and brings nearly four decades of experience and network expertise to the role.
His track record includes managing relationships with global clients such as Colgate, P&G, and Lufthansa in leadership roles at a diverse set of agencies including CEO at Landor Associates, executive vice-president of Engine Group, and interim president of ROI Communications.
During Wrench’s 11 years at Landor, he spent five years as CEO, overseeing 22 offices and 900 employees. He also expanded the Landor network in the Middle East, Asia, India, growing the US footprint in Chicago, and achieving record global revenues three years in a row.
Prior to his appointment as CEO, Wrench had worked throughout the organisation, as president, chief strategy officer, and managing director London. Earlier in his career Wrench also worked at Lowe Howard-Spink and Young & Rubicon.
He said: “Kin + Carta’s Connective model is incredibly compelling – the agencies that sit under each of the organisation’s three pillars of strategic consulting, digital innovation and creative communications are deep specialists in their own right and are already effectively collaborating under the connective ethos.
“It’s a model that’s resonating with clients who are serious about deep digital transformation and connected customer experiences. I’m looking forward to rolling my sleeves up and working with all of the business heads to amplify this collaborative approach so it delivers the most compelling solutions efficiently for our clients.”
Schwan added: “Charlie combines a deep level of expertise across brand, communications, emerging technology and strategy with a proven track record of bringing the best out of multiple consultancies. His addition is well timed as we seek to accelerate Kin + Carta’s continued growth.”