Independent brand experience agency onepointfive has appointed former VCCP and Iris managing partner Matt Gully as client partner, strengthening its senior leadership team as the agency expands internationally and evolves its integrated offering.
Gully joins the agency following the recent appointment of Simon Walsh as global executive creative director, with the two senior hires supporting onepointfive’s next phase of growth across the UK, Europe, North America and Middle East.
The agency recently launched its Middle East operation as it looks to build on growing demand from clients for experience-led ideas that can work across markets and extend beyond standalone activations.
Gully joins from VCCP, where as managing partner he led integrated accounts and teams across channels spanning advertising, digital, brand strategy and social activation. Prior to VCCP, he spent 17 years at Iris, working across a broad portfolio of global brands and categories in the UK and US.
His experience includes work for brands including Visa, Sage, SSE and Barclays, alongside projects spanning financial services, technology and sport. His teams have also produced internationally recognised creative work, including a Cannes Silver Lion-winning Formula E campaign.
Reporting into co-founders Joel Barsch and Rob Pryce, Gully will work closely with the client service team across Europe and the Middle East, strengthening onepointfive’s strategic and integrated offering. His remit will span client relationships, business development and team growth, with a focus on connecting brand experience to the wider customer journey and helping clients drive greater value end to end.
Matt Gully, client partner at onepointfive, said: “What attracted me to onepointfive was the combination of ambition and agility. There’s a huge opportunity to build on what the agency already does brilliantly in brand experience and connect that thinking more closely with the rest of a client’s marketing. For me, great client service starts with making it your business to know their business.”
He added: “I want us to be shoulder to shoulder with our clients strategically, really understanding their audiences, ambitions and challenges. That bigger-picture thinking is already part of how onepointfive works, and I’m excited to add my integrated experience to it, helping us explore new ways for brand experience to connect with the wider marketing mix and create even more value for our clients.”
Joel Barsch, co-founder of onepointfive, said: “Matt brings a depth of integrated experience that feels relevant to where onepointfive is heading. Our clients are increasingly asking us to solve broader, more interconnected problems, so strengthening our client service and strategic capabilities is a natural next step. His experience leading global accounts, growing teams and building long-term client relationships will be invaluable as we continue to expand, particularly following the launch of our Middle East office. Alongside Simon’s recent appointment, Matt brings another experienced senior voice around the table while retaining the agility and closeness to clients that has always been fundamental to how we work.”