Agency strengthens its technology offering with expanded specialty talent and six new dedicated roles to service notable accounts
SAN FRANCISCO (July 1, 2021) – Golin, an Interpublic Group (NYSE: IPG) agency, announced today the expansion of its technology practice with the addition of six newly created specialty roles. The investment in this talented bench comes off the heels of record-breaking growth led by the agency’s San Francisco office – which has doubled in size over the past year. All of the new roles will service recent wins and the agency’s portfolio of large enterprise, start up and innovative consumer clients.
Saeed Zaman joined Golin’s technology leadership team as senior vice president, bringing roughly 20 years of experience in digital and technology marketing from companies across North America, APAC and EMEA. He has worked on global brands like Chrysler-Jeep-Dodge, FICO, GlaxoSmithKline, Intuit, Midas, Pfizer, Puma and Shell to name a few, and he will be responsible for expanding the agency’s service offerings in digital, social, content and paid.
“Golin has historically proven that cutting edge ideas can turn into impactful action, and I’m excited to join at a time where we can turn recent growth momentum into pushed boundaries that are informed by data and creativity,” said Zaman. “I look forward to collaborating with Golin’s talented teams to find the sweet spot of media alchemy that delivers results that transcend across all channels.”
Adding to the specialty team, Alexis Harrison, newly appointed vice president, joined the agency after a decade working in journalism and technology PR, most recently at IBM. At Golin, she leads media communications strategy for the enterprise and B2B portfolio of clients. Additionally, Jenna Galbreath joined the agency from WE Communications as director of strategy to lead research and insights, also bringing on Ashley Jaspers as associate analyst to bolster her team. Together and alongside Golin’s deep bench of insight and analytics talent, they are ensuring data informs all campaign design and ongoing client work.
Rounding out the expanded technology group, includes the welcoming of Lena Howard as digital lead of community and content – formerly the social media community lead for American Honda Motor Company – and Anara Askar as lead designer who has worked on behalf of a range of brands including Angel Oak Investors, JP Morgan Chase & Co and Quip.
“Technology is fueling change across the globe at a rapidly accelerating pace, and that change is felt by everyone,” said Matthew Lackie, president, global technology practice and managing director, Golin San Francisco. “This movement is creating incredible opportunities for our clients to showcase their role in creating meaningful change, solving problems and moving us forward. The strengthening of our team allows us to stay on the front foot of a rapidly evolving world and deliver impactful thinking that allows our clients to stay connected to business, society and culture.”
Golin’s technology practice experienced significant growth over the past year and is on track to earn double digit growth in 2021. Notable wins have included Logitech, Wavemaker Labs and most recently, Monogram Orthopedics, in addition to several other start up and innovative consumer clients.
Earlier this year, Golin’s Western Region teams began piloting a hybrid working model that eliminated its physical office locations in San Francisco and Los Angeles. This shift allowed for additional talent to join and service technology practice clients from Portland, Seattle, Denver and Toronto as well.
“We’re making a significant investment in specialty talent across the agency,” said Gary Rudnick, president & COO. “Technology, in particular, is growing at rapid speed, and our clients count on us to bring fresh ideas and smart insights to every solution in their already innovative industry. As a result, we’re operationalizing this specialty at Golin to resource our teams with the brightest minds on each piece of business regardless of their location.”