LONDON, UK — Independent agency St Luke’s has boosted its planning capabilities with the appointment of two new Planning Directors: Emma Banks and Charlotte Walters. Both join from Ogilvy where they were previously senior strategists and where both also mentored up and coming planners via the Ogilvy apprenticeship scheme.
Emma and Charlotte, who will report to Dan Hulse, Chief Strategy Officer – join St. Luke’s at a key point in the agency’s growth, with a raft of client wins and a 39% increase in headcount across the agency’s disciplines with additional hires in creative, design and social over the past twelve months.
Dan Hulse, CSO at St. Luke’s says, “The last 18 months have created the need – and opportunity – for businesses to rapidly transform. Emma and Charlotte have a brilliant track record and energy for doing exactly that. If you’re an ambitious agency working with ambitious clients, they’re exactly the people you’d want on the team”.
Emma Banks began her career at creative-led boutique Crispin Porter + Bogusky working on brands such as Paypal and Hotel.com for three years. She moved to Ogilvy for three years, to develop retail and FMCG credentials. Work highlights include the return of Sipsmith’s Mr Swan at this year’s Wimbledon campaign; and Boots’ Covid Response initiative called “Prescribe Kindness” resulting in Boots receiving the healthiest overall brand index Boots had seen in over a decade.
New Planning Director at St. Luke’s, Emma Banks comments, “I’ve always admired St Luke’s for its famously inclusive culture which gives everyone in the agency a stake in the business, so I feel very lucky to have joined such a lovely and incredibly talented team, as well as excited to make some fantastic work together. As the agency continues to grow after a storming new business year, I’m looking forward to helping more and more brands find an Agenda Setting Idea that drives the business from the inside out.”
Charlotte Walters – who received BA Hons for Russian and Italian – started her advertising career at Saatchi & Saatchi Moscow, working on the launch of the Sochi Olympics and rebranding the Mosco Metro, crafting campaigns in Russian. She joined McCann London in June 2014 and was part of the team that created the standout Survival Billboard for Xbox that made McCann the most awarded agency of 2016. Moving to Ogilvy in 2017, Charlotte worked across the agency’s portfolio as strategist, creating the UK’s first youth mobile network VOXI from Vodafone and the radical new style positioning: “They’re Boots Darling” for Boots Opticians.
St. Luke’s second Planning Director appointment, Charlotte Walters adds, “St Luke’s has always gone against the grain of the wider ad industry at large. Their fierce start-up mentality and pioneering Agenda Setting Idea process have not only stood them in good stead during what’s been a rocky year for many, but most importantly created transformative work for fantastic brands. I’m beyond excited to join such a dynamic, collaborative and tight-knit team and create brilliant work.”
These new hires follow a strong first half of 2021 for St Luke’s. The agency was recently appointed lead creative agency for South Western Railway and craft beer brand Beavertown, with both wins coming from competitive pitches. In 2020, online grocer Ocado announced St Luke’s as its lead creative agency.
