Kaizen makes two senior appointments

London and Manchester-based independent agency Kaizen has made two senior appointments as it enters its next phase of growth.

John Sellwood has joined as commercial director, while Martin Fennon has been appointed head of SEO, working alongside managing director Kristi Hoyle.

John brings experience from senior client-side digital roles as well as leadership positions within independent and network agencies, with his appointment marking a return to the independent agency sector.

He said: “The pace of change in our industry is unlike anything we’ve seen before. 

“The scope of organic discovery is expanding rapidly, and brands now need to think about how they show up across an entire ecosystem rather than individual channels in isolation.

“I believe independent specialists are incredibly well placed for that environment. 

“You have the depth of expertise, but also the agility to join the dots across channels, move quickly and respond to what clients need right now as the landscape changes at pace.

“Having spent a long time within network agencies, I’m delighted to be back in an independent agency and working alongside specialists with a real curiosity and depth of knowledge. 

“What really attracted me to Kaizen was how proactive the business is. 

“There’s a genuinely future-facing mindset here, with a team that wants to run towards change and get on the front foot rather than wait for the industry to move and then react.

“There’s already real momentum behind Kaizen, and that makes this an incredibly exciting time to join and help shape where the business goes next.”

Martin will lead Kaizen’s specialist search team and its wider SEO and GEO proposition, including developing its approach to AI-driven search and discovery.

The pair will work with Kristi to lead Kaizen’s next stage of development as the agency responds to changes in how consumers discover and research brands.

Kaizen is expanding its approach to organic performance beyond traditional search metrics, developing ways to measure areas including AI citations, share of answer and how accurately brands are represented within AI-generated search results.

Kristi added: “We’re building the leadership team around the kind of agency we believe clients will need next.

“Kaizen has always been built around specialist expertise; what’s changing is the scope of the challenge. 

“Search and discovery are more interconnected than ever, and brands need to understand how their authority carries across the wider Search-Verse™.

“Martin and John bring two complementary strengths to our ambition. 

“Martin brings the specialist depth to continue evolving our organic discovery proposition, while John brings the commercial experience to connect that expertise to the challenges our clients are facing.

“As an independent agency, we have the agility to make decisions quickly, invest ahead of the curve and be proactive about change. 

“We’re committed to staying on the front foot as the industry evolves, and Martin and John joining the leadership team gives us even more momentum to do that.”

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