Deloitte Digital Creative welcomes Annabel Acton as strategy director
Deloitte Digital has selected strategy executive Annabel Acton to join its expanding creative division in the role of strategy director.
Acton joins the firm from her role as creative director at AfterWork Ventures, having also recently landed a book deal, product deal and most recently a TV deal.
The latest of a series of senior agency leader appointments, she will work alongside the likes of former Special Group managing director Paige Prettyman, who joined was appointed as Deloitte Digital Creative managing director for Melbourne in April, as well as Clemenger Group talent Dan Wright and Ahmad Salim, who joined the firm shortly after former Clemenger BBDO CEO Nick Garrett.
On Acton’s appointment, Deloitte Digital Creative partner, Nick Garrett said: “Bella is fantastic and such a wonderful addition to the team strategically and culturally. She is ridiculously smart, has an entrepreneurial mind and background, is happy to challenge the status quo, and has some fantastic experience working at some of the best innovation shops in the UK and US. She adds real strength to our Brand Transformation offer.”
Acton’s experience has seen her working at the intersection of business and brand consulting at companies including eatbigfish & What If! She has also worked for clients like SAB Miller, Crayola, New Balance and HP. Spanning Australia, the UK and US, her experience includes brand strategy, revenue and commercialisation strategy, early stage VC strategy as well as helping teams organise for innovation by reinventing processes and structures.
Acton’s appointment comes at a time of rapid expansion at Deloitte Digital, with the Australian business now employing over 1,200 digital, marketing, brand, and creative specialists across Australia, supported by another 1,000 team members in Mumbai and Manilla.
Deloitte Digital Creative partner, Adrian Mills, said: “As our business evolves and grows at pace, we’ve been searching all over the world for brilliant brand specialists who feel comfortable outside of comms to take us and our clients to a truly innovative space. With Annabel, we’re getting a rare mix of accomplished strategic business leader and proven innovator. She is the perfect person to bring together our purpose, CVP, EVP and brand value management capabilities for clients looking to transform inside out.”
Commenting on her appointment, Acton, said: “I’m thrilled to be joining the Deloitte Digital team for many reasons, but the standout has to be the people. It’s rare to get access to such breadth and depth of talent, with impressive diversity of perspectives and experiences. Life-long learning is a goal of mine, and there’s no better place to continue that trajectory. Together with Nick and Adrian, I’m excited to be developing the Brand Transformation practice with a mission to fundamentally move brand strategy from a marketing exercise to a business strategy.”
Brand transformation what brand consultancies have been doing for 25+ years, so welcome, finally, to the party. Makes some kind of sense that you’re here with a Deloitte badge on. More so than the advertising guys (other than optimising media efficiency)
Interesting to see how and if it fits within the Digital division given that the narrative at least crosses into both Monitor and Human Capital…
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