Pumpkin appoints chief to drive transformation strategy

B2B media relations agency Pumpkin is aiming to expand into an integrated, strategic content, communications and reputation consultancy with the appointment of its first chief strategy and transformation officer.

Former Interbrand vice president and global brand/marketing officer Joe Stubbs has taken up the role and joins Pumpkin’s senior leadership team, reporting to founder and CEO Sarah Owen.

In his new role, Stubbs will work to expand Pumpkin’s core global business with commercial capabilities and additional long-term growth partnerships. He will pioneer the development of new advisory services spanning agency brand positioning, thought leadership, and growth marketing for agencies navigating rapid change.

The business operates across EMEA, North America, and Asia.

Stubbs’ appointment is central to Pumpkin as it enters its next chapter, following a period of sustained growth. This includes new global client wins and the expansion of its team; having recently brought on Saamiyah Khan as a senior account manager, who joins from Propeller, and Callan Kenna as an account manager.

Over the past decade, Stubbs has led global brand and marketing strategy for category leaders, including the world’s leading brand strategy consultancy, Interbrand, and online community insight experts, C Space. In these roles, he led marketing teams across Europe, North America, and Asia – and was responsible for global marketing and new business investments.

Prior to marketing and brand strategy roles, Stubbs built the storytelling and creative division for C Space in Europe. He has led and collaborated on insight, innovation and brand strategy programmes for companies including Mindshare, AB InBev, The Gambling Commission, Tesco and Tetley Tea.

His appointment by Pumpkin reflects the growing demand from agencies for content and communications partners that combine reputation building with strategic insight and commercial impact. Agencies are under increasing pressure to build influence, as well as visibility. As the marketing landscape is reshaped by AI and platform fragmentation, reputation and thought leadership grow in importance.

Stubbs said: “Pumpkin boasts an inspiring roster of world-class clients, and I’ve been lucky to collaborate with the team client-side over the past decade. As we’re all experiencing, the agency marketing landscape is fundamentally shifting, and having a laser focus on ROI is now imperative.

“I’m excited about executing this new chapter for the business and the potential we can create. Sarah is an exceptional leader and a trusted, valued partner. I’m grateful for the opportunity to work with her and the whole Pumpkin team as we look to the future.”

Sarah Owen added: “Joe’s appointment marks an important step in our evolution as we expand from a specialist PR agency into a broader strategic communications partner for the global marketing industry. Having had the pleasure of knowing Joe for the past few years, I’ve already seen what he can do, and know that – on both a professional and personal level – he will make an invaluable addition to the team. We’re excited about what we will build together.”