the7stars Strengthens Senior Leadership with Trio of Promotions

Left to right: Vicky Crouch-Marlow, head of planning; Michelle Sarpong, head of activation and Caroline Tucker, head of planning

Independent media agency the7stars has announced three senior promotions across its planning and activation functions, further bolstering its leadership team as the agency continues to grow.

​Michelle Sarpong, previously commercial lead, has been promoted to head of activation. Caroline Tucker and Vicky Crouch-Marlow have been appointed joint heads of planning, in a newly created role designed to further strengthen the agency’s strategic leadership.

In her new role, Michelle will lead the agency’s 150-strong Activation team and report into managing partners Rhys Williams and Rhiannon Murphy, following their promotion earlier this year.

Caroline and Vicky will report directly into founder Jenny Biggam. Together, they will co-lead the account planning teams—comprising 100 staff and working with more than 70 clients across £500m in billings. As part of the changes, Libby Foster has been promoted to client planning partner.

Jenny Biggam, founder of the7stars, said, “Michelle, Caroline and Vicky are outstanding leaders who have played a pivotal role in our award-winning work, ambitious growth and industry-leading NPS scores. Their promotions recognise not only their contribution but their deep understanding of our clients' needs, and their ability to turn insight into action. I’m excited to see them shape the future of our agency and client relationships.”

Michelle joined the7stars in 2018 as trading director and was later promoted to commercial lead. She played a key role in the agency’s first major restructure four years ago, uniting all media planning and buying functions under a single Activation team to deliver integrated, omni-channel solutions.

Michelle Sarpong, head of activation commented, "I’m incredibly excited to step into this role at a time when the media landscape is evolving so rapidly. Our Activation team sits at the heart of that change—combining data, technology and smart media thinking to drive real impact for clients. It’s a privilege to lead such a talented team and to continue to build an Activation function that’s future-fit—where collaboration and innovation thrive.”

Caroline, who joined in 2016, was promoted to client planning partner in 2019. She said, "the7stars has always been a place where bold ideas and clear thinking win out. In this new role, I’m looking forward to working closely with Vicky and our incredible teams to build on our strategic strengths, and push planning to new creative heights that deliver growth for our client partners."

Vicky, who joined six and a half years ago, was promoted to client planning partner in 2021. She added, “Planning at the7stars is about more than media—it’s about understanding people, from the audiences we speak to, to the clients we work with. The best work comes from genuinely knowing our clients, their challenges and ambitions. I’m excited to help lead that journey with Caroline, ensuring our teams deliver work that’s smart, effective and truly connected to the people behind the brands.”

As of 31 December 2024, the7stars employed 312 people across media activation, insight and analytics, data and tech, production and creative.