From left, Jim Coleman, EMEA CEO, and Toby Southgate, Global Group CEO, We Are Social.We Are Social, the global socially-led creative agency formerly known as Socialize, has promoted Jim Coleman to the role of EMEA CEO, effective immediately.
Previously UK CEO, Coleman will now focus on strengthening connections across the agency’s offices in Europe and the Middle East, and accelerating growth through innovation in products and services across the region.
Commenting on the appointment, Coleman said, “I’m excited to take on this new challenge and work even more closely with our brilliant teams across EMEA. It’s a region with a lot of cultural nuances and differences, but what brings us all together is a passion for making the best possible work for our clients”
He added, “I’m fortunate that there is already a talented team of people I know, like and respect in place across EMEA, and we’re all ready to work together and get stuck into this next phase of We Are Social’s growth and success.”
In his new role, Coleman will be responsible for building closer collaboration and a unified culture across We Are Social and sister agency Hello’s offices in the EMEA region of 620 people: UK, Germany, Spain, the Netherlands, Italy, France, and Dubai. The heads of each office will report to him.
Akanksha Goel, Regional Lead for the Middle East and India at We Are Social said, “I’m looking forward to working with Jim and the team to write the next chapter of our story. Our mission has always been to make the best social-first creative work for the world’s biggest brands and champion the power of social to make a real impact. I’m excited to see what comes next.”
Coleman has been a pivotal figure at We Are Social since joining as UK Managing Director in 2010. In 2016 he became UK CEO, and has developed an enviable client roster that includes Carlsberg Group, Activision, adidas and Amazon Music. He later became Regional Lead for North America overseeing the longstanding US team, and was a key architect of the agency’s successful launch in Canada, which today has a team of 70.
Coleman sits on We Are Social’s Executive Management Board and reports to its Global Group CEO, Toby Southgate. His promotion follows recent announcements of two additional Regional CEOs at the agency: Rebecca Coleman in North America, and Suzie Shaw in APAC.
We Are Social has also promoted Mark Jones to EMEA COO. Previously UK COO, Jones will now oversee financial operations across the EMEA region, supporting the agency’s growth plans.
EMEA has been a crucial region for We Are Social since it was founded in London in 2008. The agency made its first moves into continental Europe with the launch of its Paris office in 2009, marking the beginning of its EMEA footprint. The agency’s most recent EMEA launch came in 2022, with the opening of its Netherlands office.
Southgate said, “Jim was early to identify the future potential of We Are Social. He’s been a vital part of our journey from a startup in London, to our current global network spanning four continents. Without him the agency wouldn’t be what it is today.”
He added, “His contribution to our success so far makes him the perfect person for this next step leading our newly united EMEA region. We have great leaders across our EMEA offices, and Jim will continue to bring them closer together, driving collaboration, mobility and growth for our people and our clients.”
