Brand experience agency, AVANTGARDE, has announced the expansion of its leadership team, with the appointment of Richie Gage as head of live.
Joining him on the senior leadership team is Alex Faulkner, client services lead and Sandra Perriot, strategy lead.
Gage brings over two decades of experience to the agency, having worked across campaigns for companies like Netflix, Airbnb, Nike and Google. In his new role, Gage will lead and shape AVANTGARDE’s new ‘live’ team, reporting to managing director Rachel Lewandowska.
Prior to AVANTGARDE, Gage served as a managing parter at Bearded Kitten, where he helped fast track the agency growth and reputation. Prior to this he was at Amplify for over ten years, where he helped to define the industry standard for the live and experiential industries.
Faulkner has been instrumental in winning, retaining and growing key clients within AVANTGARDE since he joined in 2023, and Sandra Perriot has been pivotal in setting the strategic direction across both new and existing clients and AVANTGARDE’s trends events series, Voices.
In their new roles, Gage, Faulkner and Perriot will sit alongside the existing leadership team of Harry McCreanor, global business development director, Sam Pepper, executive creative director, and James Wallingford, head of innovation.
Gage said: “I’m super happy to join the team at AVANTGARDE and have been a fan of their work for several years. I’ve seen the plans Rachel and the team have for this next chapter, and it is an incredibly exciting time to come on board.”
Lewandowska added: “AVANTGARDE have always been known for delivery excellence, and Richie’s experience in forming standout teams will only strengthen this reputation. Richie brings a wealth of ability, and his appointment will further sharpen the live activations we create for our clients.”
She added: “With the brilliant duo of Alex and Sandra also bolstering our senior benches, these changes will truly make AVANTGARDE a brand experience force of the future.”