Ruth Bates has been appointed to the newly created position of chief data officer, which is part of the senior leadership team at Saatchi & Saatchi. To comprehend the complexities of the real world in which audiences, brands, and ideas live, Bates—who was previously head of data arts at Saatchi & Saatchi and Publicis Groupe UK—will spearhead the agency’s ambition to integrate data insights into its creative work. The agency will then implement those insights across its award-winning creative.
Bates has built its data department and developed products and methods to provide insights for production, creativity, and planning over the last six years. The agency is still making investments in its data and insights expertise, particularly in its data arts program, which seeks to link consumer insights with artistic creations.
Bates led the data science team at Deloitte Digital as a senior manager before joining Saatchi. Bates will collaborate with chief strategy officer and chair Richard Huntington to create and execute specialized data products and services in her new capacity.
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Ruth Bates and chief strategy officer Richard Huntington will collaborate closely to develop and launch agency-owned products and services that bring real-world audience insights to projects for both new and returning clients. She will also keep contributing her knowledge to the range of data-centric products offered by Publicis Groupe.
The appointment of James Addlestone as head of data arts, the promotion of Emily Lewis-Keane to head of planning, and the elevation of Sam Wise to executive strategy director all preceded Ruth Bates’s promotion within Saatchi & Saatchi’s strategy discipline. Ruth Bates works under Richard Huntington, the chief strategy officer and chair of Saatchi & Saatchi.
Richard Huntington, chair and chief strategy officer, Saatchi & Saatchi says,
“For six years, Ruth has been a secret weapon, shaping our data capabilities as an agency and as a Groupe. Now, she is not so secret. In creating this new position, we are not only recognising Ruth’s value to our work but also recognising that data arts have come of age at Saatchi & Saatchi.”
Ruth Bates, chief data officer, Saatchi & Saatchi says,
“As consumers, our everyday experience is shaped by a complex ecosystem of data and algorithms. As advertisers, we need to live and breathe that complexity if we want our ideas to influence the real world. It’s exciting to be working alongside a leadership team committed to leveraging the full potential of data”.
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