Aspectus elevates two senior team members to joint MD

Laura Iley, who has led the energy team for the last five years, will become managing director responsible for delivering commercial success and Michael House, who heads the technology team and formerly oversaw external EMEA communications at Rackspace, will become managing director in charge of people. Together they will oversee many of the agency’s day-to-day operations.

Explaining the new roles, CEO, Alastair Turner said: “We’ve been lucky enough to experience significant global growth in 2020 and have exciting plans to become a $15 million revenue business in the coming years. These new roles are all about getting our best people into jobs they will excel at so that they can contribute in the most effective way to helping the agency meet its ambitions. Other key members of the existing board will take on new global roles including Ellie Jackson’s recently announced appointment to Head of Client Service and Strategy. More announcements will follow over the coming weeks.

“30 per cent of our people have been with us for between five and ten years. So, growth is important to all our people as it provides ever-evolving opportunity. This means clients benefit from long-term, stable teams made up of people who are not only sector specialists but know their business inside out and are highly committed to solving their problems.”

Commenting on her appointment, Head of Energy and MD of commercial, Laura Iley said: “I am incredibly proud to take up this new position. I have grown my career at Aspectus while building the global energy business; I don’t think there’s a better environment for bright young people to channel their passion and catapult their careers forward. I am now relishing the challenge of ensuring that we achieve our commercial goals while working with my senior colleagues to ensure that we interlock agency aspiration with client delivery.”

Discussing his appointment, Head of Technology and MD of people, Michael House said: “Over the course of my career I’ve worked at numerous agencies but there is something in the very fabric of Aspectus that is truly different to the rest. The aim now, is to evolve this culture to ensure that as we grow it remains at the centre of who we are. My task is to ensure we are the gold standard for workplace culture – laying out the path ahead, rather than following others. At the heart of this will be a big focus on wellness, diversity and innovative life support for all Aspectees.”

Concluding, Turner said: “We are lucky to be in productive long-term relationships with an amazing stable of loyal, brilliant clients who have invested in us and seen us add financial value to their brands through our highly creative, integrated and results-based approach. However, our founding philosophy which places commercial success, people and purpose into a virtuous circle has been the underlying springboard. All are equally important, and we certainly couldn’t have any one without the other. There is a real momentum about the business and tangible excitement about what the future might hold.”