Populate Group, a global immersive experience company headquartered in the UK and the Middle East, has entered the global experience arena.
Founded by industry leader Joshua Murton, Populate Group has officially launched with offices in the UK and Middle East, aiming to set a new benchmark in the creation of intelligent and immersive experiential environments.
Populate intends to blend architectural expertise with cutting-edge digital technology and content design, addressing a critical gap in the market for a company that can both design and deliver technically robust, large-scale permanent and temporary immersive experiences.
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With global demand rising for experiences that are both emotionally resonant, and technologically sophisticated, Populate positions itself as the industry’s next powerhouse; with an end-to-end offering, delivering across brand homes, museums, and immersive visitor spaces.
Joshua Murton, Founder and CEO, Populate Group, said, “We saw a clear need to bring the professional diligence and expertise seen within architecture and construction, into the fast-paced world of live events and experiences, even more so, given the huge surge in demand that we are seeing for permanent brand homes. Populate is here to bridge that gap, and deliver experiences that are not only groundbreaking, but also operationally sound, compliant, and future-proofed.”
Populate Group showcases a leadership team of heavyweights
Populate’s ambition is underpinned by a hand-picked leadership team of industry experts, including:
Charlie Hepburn, Chief Growth Officer, is a former founder of a Top 50 C&IT Brand Experience agency, and named in the top 100 most influential people in the events industry. Hepburn has helped shape some of the industry’s most innovative global experience brands for more than 20 years.
Tobie Anderson, Executive Creative Director, has previously led Pico’s Permanent Museum team. With a career spanning more than 15 years with the likes of Jack Morton Worldwide, Gallagher Associates, CDI World and Portland, Anderson has delivered museums galleries, permanent exhibition spaces and immersive brand environments globally.
Tony McKenzie, Head of Client Services, bring more than 25 years in the design and technology sectors. McKenzie has held leadership positions in multi award-winning technology companies, delivering enterprise software and immersive interactives globally, for some of the world’s largest blue-chip brands.
Evaluating its track record, growth and global footprint
Before founding Populate, Murton held senior roles at Imagination and Identity Global, leading award-winning projects such as Visa’s immersive pavilion at the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and overseeing a large part of the United Nations COP28 World Leaders’ Climate Conference.
This international experience laid the foundation for Populate’s approach: combining architectural precision, digital innovation, and immersive narratives, to deliver projects for both temporary and permanent environments.
Since its summer 2025 launch, Populate has already achieved:
- Strategic platform acquisitions accelerating capabilities, and ensuring infrastructure is in place to deliver large scale project delivery from the outset.
- Proven delivery with a number of impressive international projects across the UK, Riyadh and Dubai.
- Major new project wins with a number of leading global clients.
- New offices in London, and Dubai, with operational bases in Riyadh and Barcelona, and partnerships in the USA and Asia to serve international markets.
Murton added, “We’re not just building experiences; we’re building an ecosystem of expertise. Our mission is to push the boundaries of what’s possible, while giving clients the confidence that their projects are delivered to the highest technical and creative standards.”
