New Manchester operation for London-based digital brand agency Collective

Digital brand agency Collective is launching an office in Manchester as part of a strategy to grow its client base outside London.

The company has chosen newly appointed regional sales director Lee Shaughnessy to head up the new operation.

Collective said the aim is for the Manchester base to act as a hub for clients across the major towns and cities of the North.

Lee, who joined the company from sales agency Media Link, has 18 years’ experience in sales and media agency employment, having started his career with Manchester-based MediaVest in 1999.

Collective’s UK director of sales, Dominic Woolfe, said of the expansion: “Five years on from our successful launch in London, we’re keen to expand our presence across the UK.

“Some of the best digital businesses in the UK are outside the capital and we need excellent local representation to give them the best possible service and support we can.”

He added: “We believe Lee is the perfect fit to run the operation.”

Collective, part of Time Inc. UK, works with 80 of the UK’s 100 top spending advertisers.

The company’s services centre around the production of ad units and native formats for desktop, tablet and mobile, targeting key audiences with a mix of proprietary, first- and third-party data.

Regional sales director Lee commented: “I’m delighted to join a company that is at the cutting edge of digital branding and a leader in its field.

“Manchester is a growing media hub and the ideal base from which to serve this area, Scotland and other key regional hubs.”