Born Social Promotes Kate Higham to UK Joint Managing Director

From left to right: CEO Ben Tyson, executive finance director Dan Jarrett, chief client officer Abbey Mills, chief strategy officer Callum McCahon, COO Charlotte Hamill, UK joint managing director Kate Higham and chief creative officer Paddy Smith

Global social media agency Born Social has announced the promotion of head of operations, Kate Higham, to the newly created role of UK joint managing director, as the agency’s leadership team takes on an expanded remit across global markets.

The move comes during a period of rapid growth for Born Social, with the US becoming a key market and driver of expansion, and reflects the agency’s commitment to scaling globally while remaining true to its creative and cultural ambitions. It follows the expansion of Born Social chief operating officer Charlotte Hamill’s remit to become chief operating officer, EMEA, for parent company, Croud.

In her new role, Kate will be responsible for the strategic commercial, operational, and cultural leadership of Born Social in the UK. She will join the senior leadership team and work closely with the CEO Ben Tyson, chief operating officer Charlotte Hamill, chief client officer Abbey Mills, chief creative officer Paddy Smith, chief strategy officer Callum McCahon, and executive finance director Dan Jarrett, who are now assuming broader global mandates at Born Social. A second joint managing director will be appointed later this year to focus on driving UK growth.

Kate joined Born Social in 2019 as senior operations manager and was promoted to head of operations the following year. Over the past six years, she has played a pivotal role in the agency’s development, helping grow the team from 20 to over 180 people, securing B Corp status, and leading the agency to multiple Agency of the Year wins. She also oversaw Born’s operational integration with Croud and has championed a progressive internal culture through wellbeing and sustainability initiatives. Before joining Born Social, Kate spent more than six years at post-production company Splice.

In her new role, Kate will report directly to CEO Ben Tyson and lead a team of UK department heads, including the head of social media management, head of influence, and head of production, with indirect oversight of all other UK heads of department.

The leadership team’s expanded global remits will see them overseeing Born Social’s growing international client base and global team, with a particular focus on the US market following the launch of its New York office in early 2024.

The team will lead Born Social’s global social agency of record work for Smirnoff and partner with Croud US on key accounts, while also taking on wider responsibility for operational alignment across Born Social’s international hubs. This includes collaborating closely with the broader Croud Group, including teams in New York and Atlanta, and developing a scalable model for multi-market social strategy and execution.

The shift comes as Born continues to win more multi-market and global briefs, solidifying its position as an industry-leading global social media agency.

Ben Tyson, CEO, Born Social, said, “Kate has been instrumental in shaping Born Social into the agency it is today. Her impact over the past six years has been transformational, from scaling the business to championing our B Corp journey and leading the charge on wellbeing and progressive policy. She has an unwavering commitment to our people, our values and our ambition. As we enter an exciting new chapter of growth, with our leadership team taking on an expanded global remit, Kate brings the perfect blend of operational excellence, commercial rigour and cultural leadership to help steer Born Social into the future.”

Kate Higham, new UK joint managing director, Born Social, added, I’m incredibly proud to step into this new role at such an exciting time for Born Social. Over the past six years, I’ve loved being part of the agency’s growth - evolving our culture as we’ve scaled, and seeing firsthand the quality and ambition of the leadership team. Now I’m part of that, my focus will be on ensuring we continue to build a strong, vision-led and values-driven business that delivers commercially, champions sustainability and sets the standard for what an agency should be. I’m so looking forward to working with the team to shape the next chapter at Born.”