Jaywing former founder Chris Pittham returns as Executive Director of data and AI

Multi-award winning brand, experience and performance agency Jaywing has announced the return of former founder, Chris Pittham, into the newly created role of Executive Director of data and AI as it accelerates its next phase of growth.

Pittham (above right), who previously served as managing director of Jaywing for five years and then as non-executive director until September 2024, returns to the agency in the newly created full-time role, in addition to joining the executive leadership team.

The appointment reunites Pittham and Jaywing CEO Tom Geekie (above left), who were two of the co-founders of Digital Massive in 2012 and which was acquired by Jaywing UK in 2016. Last year Jaywing and sister digital product and UX specialist agency, Frank Digital, were bought by leading independent marketing, media and brand management agency the Merchantwise Group.

Pittham, who has extensive experience in data and media, will oversee all of Jaywing’s AI programmes with a particular focus on advanced AI solutions in media and search at scale.

Pittham’s return follows a period of significant expansion for Jaywing, which recently integrated media and performance agency RQ Media and creative marketing agency Three Scoops under its umbrella. Both were previously acquired by the Merchantwise Group.

Says Geekie: “Chris brings a rare combination of deep data expertise and hands-on experience building the kind of infrastructure modern AI depends on. We’ve spent years helping clients improve their data collection and warehousing capabilities and that evolution means we’re now in a position to deliver far more advanced AI solutions.

“AI and automation are only as powerful as the data behind them and Chris has been at the forefront of solving that challenge, designing the ecosystems that make AI work in practice, not just in theory. As the pace of change accelerates, his ability to connect the why with the how makes him the ideal person to lead this next phase of growth for Jaywing and our clients, and it’s great to be working with him again.”

Adds Pittham: “Stepping back into Jaywing feels natural, but what’s different now is the scale of opportunity. The agency has grown significantly, the client base has expanded, and the appetite among those clients to do something genuinely transformative with data and AI is real and urgent.

“Tom and I have always pushed each other to think bigger, and that dynamic is exactly what this moment calls for. There has never been a more important time for brands to get their data foundations right, and as the group continues to grow and evolve, I’m here to make sure Jaywing’s clients are ahead of that curve, not catching up to it.”

Jaywing recently released its ‘Winning Retail Visibility in AI Search’ report, which revealed that Australia’s two biggest supermarkets are leading a charge against global eCommerce giant Amazon in AI search. The report used Jaywing’s proprietary GEO framework to analyse not just which retailers and brands appear in AI-generated search results, but why.

A multi-award winning Performance Agency of the Year, Jaywing’s clients including New Balance, Crocs, Myer, Intuit QuickBooks, a2 Milk, InvoCare, Disneyland Paris, Fiji Airways, Healthylife and Soundbay, owners of the Store DJ and Mannys brands.

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