Claxon appoints Brian Collins to newly created head of growth role

Full-service independent agency Claxon has appointed Brian Collins into the newly established role of head of growth, reporting directly to chief growth officer, Jade Axford.  Collins also joins the agency’s senior leadership team.

Collins’ immediate remit is responsibility for new client partnerships – globally – across the agency’s entire integrated service offering, as Claxon moves onto the global stage via an ambitious acquisition and expansion strategy.

Says Axford: “I am thrilled to welcome Brian to the growth team. His exceptional track record and extensive experience in the media landscape makes him the ideal leader to spearhead our agency’s expansion efforts, both locally and globally. Brian’s deep passion for his craft aligns seamlessly with our culture, which places high value on curiosity, creativity, and collaborative spirit. As we move forward, Brian’s leadership will play a pivotal role in helping our clients navigate and excel in this transformative era, driven by digital and AI technologies.

With a stellar international career including senior leadership roles both agency and client-side, Collins was most recently head of digital at True and prior to that head of UK media for Ogilvy UK, global head of digital performance for Strong Roots and head of digital for ContentCal (now part of Adobe).

Collins brings more than 15 years of experience to Claxon solving digital problems to drive client growth working across some of the world’s most iconic brands including Mattel, Nokia, Colgate, Rolls Royce, Bacardi, Vodafone and The European Parliament.

Of his new role, Collins says: “I’m thrilled to be taking on this new challenge which will allows me to leverage key capabilities that Claxon has invested in, particularly integrating AI into clients’ marketing strategies.

“My heart will always be in paid social and ecommerce but as the landscape has changed – an omnichannel approach is required. In recent years my focus has moved towards growth and I’m super excited to finally get to join the agency that was my first pick when moving to Australia, at a pivotal time in their evolutionary journey.”

Says Daniel Willis, chairman and CEO, Claxon: “After a 2 years courtship and Brian packing up his life and moving from the UK to Australia, it’s great to finally have him onboard. His appointment follows our people ethos of “Better people are better” and he brings a wealth of experience, and charisma, and good old Irish humour into a key role as we continue to scale up.”

Collins’ appointment is effective immediately.