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Zambezi Adds Two to Growing Strategy and Account Teams

21/03/2016
Marketing & PR
Austin, USA
61
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Ryan Richards joins as Group Strategy Director, Gordon Gray as Account Director

Los Angeles-based agency Zambezi has added two new staffers to its growing team: Ryan Richards joins from BBDO in the newly created role of Group Strategy Director, reporting to Chief Strategy Officer Kristina Jenkins.


Additionally, Gordon Gray, most recently with David&Goliath, joins Zambezi as an Account Director, with a primary focus on the agency’s TaylorMade business. Gray reports to Pete Brown, Managing Director.


“Zambezi is a place where the best talent can thrive and work on brands they’re excited about,” said Chris Raih, founder & CEO of Zambezi. “Bringing on big guns like Ryan and Gordon helps us stretch even further. We welcome them to the team.”


The appointments follow a recent relocation for Zambezi. After 10 years in Venice as one of the first ad agencies in the area known as ‘Silicon Beach,’ Zambezi has moved its offices to Culver City. In the past year, Zambezi been named AOR for Cox Automotive, and has been tapped by brands including Focus Features, World Surf League, The Honest Company, Zynga and FanDuel.


Ryan Richards, Group Strategy Director


Richards joins Zambezi from the New York office of BBDO where he was Vice President, Brand Strategy Director on AT&T and HBO. At Zambezi, he will lead strategic development across clients including Cox Automotive’s Autotrader and Kelley Blue Book brands. Additionally, he will support the agency’s new business efforts and oversee various innovation projects.


A New York transplant, Richards’ strategy career has spanned nearly every category including AT&T and HBO at BBDO New York; Volkswagen, McDonald’s and Gatorade at DDB Sydney; and AFL, V8 Supercars and Virgin Atlantic at George Patterson Y&R Sydney. He also started and led innovation divisions at both DDB Sydney and BBDO NY, where the teams would crowd-source community problems and then develop their own product and platform solutions.


Over the course of his career, Richards has picked up a few shades of Cannes Lions and a silver Effie Award.


Richards began his career not in advertising, but as a music producer through On Point Productions, which he co-founded in 2001 in San Diego.


Gordon Gray, Account Director


Most recently, Gray was the account director on the Kia national advertising account at David&Goliath - including leading Kia’s Super Bowl effort for Optima. From 2013 until 2015, he was a brand director at 72andSunny, working on the Tillamook, Target, Busch Beer and Natural Light accounts.


Gray has held executive account side positions at JWT, The Bank, Fallon, WCRS and M+C Saatchi. His account work includes, Nokia, Peroni, BMW and Sony BRAVIA which won gold at Cannes  and multiple BTAA golds.


A graduate of the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, Gray grew up in London, is fluent in French and is a fanatical golfer.


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