We Are Social welcomes Toby Southgate as Global Group CEO 

Our News

As you may have read in Campaign today, we have announced some very exciting news, as Toby Southgate joins We Are Social as Global Group CEO. 

Toby joins us from Forsman & Bodenfors where, as Global CEO, he spearheaded initiatives that fostered collaboration, promoted gender pay equity, and drove significant growth. He also brings extensive global experience, spanning North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, which will be invaluable as we navigate the complexities and capitalise on the exciting opportunities for our global business. 

Here at We Are Social he’ll be leading our team of 1,200 people across four continents. He will evolve our ways of working across people, work and clients, building a globally-connected creative business that is set up for growth. He will also be looking to expand and innovate our core offering, in partnership with our brilliant client roster—from Samsung to Starbucks, adidas to Activision and many more. 

Commenting on his appointment, Toby told Campaign: “I’ve long admired We Are Social. It led the way by recognising the power of social and digital platforms for brands at scale and, as a result, it’s the only truly global agency in its space. Today, We Are Social has an extremely talented team and an incredibly bright future. We’ll be expanding our offering as the world’s most creative social agency, in partnership with what is undeniably a stellar roster of clients. The energy and appetite for growth and evolution with the network is really compelling. The role was very easy to accept.”

Toby has extensive global experience, having worked across North America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia. Prior to Forsman & Bodenfors, he was global chief growth officer at McCann WorldGroup, also serving as the company’s regional director and chief client officer across Europe and the UK. Before joining Worldgroup, he spent 10 years at WPP’s brand consulting unit, Brand Union, leading it to its first major successes at Cannes and the Effies. 

Commenting on Toby’s appointment, Brett Marchand, CEO of our parent company, Plus Company, said: “We Are Social has had an extraordinary journey to become the world’s foremost social agency, with a significant global footprint, talented team, amazing work and spectacular clients. I believe that Toby’s experience in leading multi-national agencies to growth, combined with an exceptional leadership team at We Are Social, will be the winning combination to unlock the agency’s full potential. Toby’s passion for creating a culture where people are a priority so they can thrive and do their best work, was clear from the outset. He’s a first-class leader who will help steer We Are Social steadfastly into the next stage in its evolution.”