Virgin Media marketing chief joins Start Creative
Start Creative has appointed James Kydd as its non-executive director – a new role created to use his marketing, media and telecoms experience.
Kydd – who joins from Virgin Media, where he was managing director of brand and marketing – will consult on media and telecoms across the consultancy’s client base and within the consultancy itself.
Start Creative chief executive Mike Curtis says that Kydd will help to ensure the consultancy’s offer is ‘truly relevant to clients’, and assist with its expansion across the Middle East and China.
‘It’s partly an advice role, and partly getting my hands dirty,’ says Kydd, who explains that the Middle East and China have ‘underdeveloped communications, so it’s a proposition I can help with’.
He adds, ‘WPP has gone out there [the Middle East] and transplanted Western operations – but it requires more thought. Start has exported Western working methods but built local expertise.’
Kydd will also be working in the UK on new business wins, and says he will work on Start Creative projects with Virgin if they are new propositions. ‘I could work on Virgin Unite in the future,’ Kydd adds.
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Far more International companies than WPP group based long term in the Middle East. Independent highly talented, highly experienced, already working Western methods and growing organic talent long before the new kids in town arrived –
More thought ? Please we are not some virgin undeveloped backwater out here, tell the market something pioneering if you wish to make a real Start. . . .
That’s a fair comment. The real point is that there is some real talent out there but we think that we will have a unique offering in bringing our many years of brand and digital experience to the region, and working closely with the local talent to offer regional clients the best of both worlds.
Who is he kydding?