VCCP-owned global content creation studio Girl & Bear has promoted managing director Claire Young to chief executive as part of plans to drive further international expansion of the division which launched in 2021.
Under Young’s leadership, Girl & Bear’s headcount has grown substantially, with 46% of the studio’s hires from ethnically diverse backgrounds; its capabilities include film, post, audio, design, print, photographic and digital production.
The move follows last month’s expansion into the Czech Republic which saw the studio set up shop in Prague, in response to growing demand for its services across Europe.
The launch was spearheaded by Young, with the aim of delivering ‘Craft Without Compromise’ to local and global clients. Girl & Bear Prague launches with clients including Komerční Banka and E.On.
Young joined VCCP in 2016 as head of creative service and creative production and realised the potential in bringing together VCCP’s makers from across the business into one fully-integrated capability, spearheading the studio’s 2021 launch; she was promoted to MD at the same time.
During her career, Young has also spent time at JWT and worked at Mother for over seven years.
VCCP London CEO Andrew Peake said: “Claire’s promotion reflects everything that has been achieved at Girl & Bear in the past two and a half years; the focus on our product, the speed of growth and her leadership of a super talented bunch of people. Claire is relentless in making the agency as good as it can be. We can’t think of a better person than Claire to take us on the next stage of the journey.”
Young added: “In the past two and a half years, Girl & Bear has gone from strength to strength – all down to our brilliant makers that strive to deliver quality without compromise. Girl & Bear has a unique culture, proposition, and an exceptionally high quality of output.
“I am so proud of what we’ve achieved so far, and I am equally incredibly excited about the future. We have such a big opportunity ahead of us as we continue to evolve and elevate our offering with new capabilities, new skills, and new ways of working.”
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