The Social Shepherd Names Sarah Platt as Managing Director

Award-winning social agency The Social Shepherd has names Sarah Platt as its new managing director, effective 28th February 2025. The move comes as co-founder Jack Shepherd transitions into the role of chief commercial officer (CCO), where he will lead the agency’s growth and commercial strategy across all markets.

Sarah Platt previously served as The Social Shepherd’s finance director and has held senior leadership roles, including positions as finance director in other agencies. Her appointment as managing director reflects a strategic decision to leverage her operational strengths, financial expertise, and deep understanding of how successful agencies scale.

Sarah’s appointment follows a year of economic turbulence across the industry, prompting The Social Shepherd to realign its leadership based on core strengths and future-facing strategy.

Jack Shepherd, who previously held the MD role, returns to his roots in growth and commercial leadership, where his passion lies. As former head of growth, Jack played a pivotal role in scaling The Social Shepherd from a start-up to one of the UK’s fastest-growing independent social agencies. Now, as CCO, he will oversee Marketing and New Business, while also providing commercial guidance and support across new client partnerships.

Sarah Platt, managing director, said, “Stepping into the MD role at The Social Shepherd is both an honour and a privilege. It’s such an exciting time for the agency, and I am passionate about supporting our teams through our next stage of growth.”

The restructuring follows a series of major achievements for the agency. In the past year, The Social Shepherd has been named Best Large Social Media Agency in the UK for the second consecutive year, expanded internationally with team hubs in New York and Miami, opened a new London office, and added globally recognised brands to its growing client roster. All of this has been achieved amid economic headwinds, with notable gains in both headcount and revenue.

Jack Shepherd, CCO, said, “Sarah taking on the managing director is a pivotal moment for The Social Shepherd, and I’m super excited for her to drive the agency forward, leading and supporting our department leads and wider agency teams.

I’m a big advocate for playing to your strengths, and our role changes do exactly that. Ensuring we deliver excellence for our clients, our team and our growth ambitions.”

The announcement also builds on last year’s leadership evolution, which saw co-founder Zoe Shepherd appointed CEO. Zoe now oversees all agency hubs, leading long-term strategic planning, financial operations, and senior leadership development.

As The Social Shepherd enters its next phase of growth, this senior team realignment sets the stage for the agency’s bold ambition: to become the best social media agency in the world.