Global socially-led creative agency We Are Social has appointed Toby Southgate as its global group chief executive officer.
Southgate, previously global CEO at Forsman & Bodenfors, will lead We Are Social’s team of 1,200 people spanning four continents. He will evolve the leading social agency’s ways of working across its people, work and clients, building a globally-connected creative business that is set up for growth. He will also be looking to expand and innovate We Are Social’s core offering in partnership with its extensive client roster, which includes Samsung, Amazon Music, Starbucks, adidas, Activision, Netflix, and Booking.com.
During his three-year tenure at Forsman & Bodenfors, Southgate aligned and unified the creative agency’s global offices post-merger, achieved gender pay equity and built cohesive business strategies, including improving cross-border collaboration. Under his leadership, the agency worked with major global clients such as Volvo, Google, Procter & Gamble and Diageo.
Southgate has extensive global experience, having worked across North America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia. Prior to Forsman & Bodenfors, he was global chief growth officer at McCann WorldGroup, also serving as the company’s regional director and chief client officer across Europe and the UK. Before joining Worldgroup, Southgate spent 10 years at WPP’s brand consulting unit, Brand Union, leading it to its first major successes at Cannes and the Effies.
Southgate succeeds We Are Social’s co-founder and group CEO Nathan McDonald, who departed in October 2024. Brett Marchand, CEO of the agency’s parent company, Plus Company, held the role in the interim.
Southgate commented: “I’ve long admired We Are Social. It led the way by recognising the power of social and digital platforms for brands at scale and, as a result, it’s the only truly global agency in its space. Today, We Are Social has an extremely talented team and an incredibly bright future. We’ll be expanding our offering as the world’s most creative social agency, in partnership with what is undeniably a stellar roster of clients. The energy and appetite for growth and evolution with the network is really compelling. The role was very easy to accept.”
Marchand added: “We Are Social has had an extraordinary journey to become the world’s foremost social agency, with a significant global footprint, talented team, amazing work and spectacular clients. I believe that Toby’s experience in leading multi-national agencies to growth, combined with an exceptional leadership team at We Are Social, will be the winning combination to unlock the agency’s full potential. Toby’s passion for creating a culture where people are a priority so they can thrive and do their best work, was clear from the outset. He’s a first-class leader who will help steer We Are Social steadfastly into the next stage in its evolution.”
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