Brainlabs Appoints Claire Dean as Chief Strategy Officer, UK & EMEA
Brainlabs, the high-performance media agency, has announced the appointment of Claire Dean as Chief Strategy Officer, UK & EMEA. Reporting to UK CEO Dan Bottigileri and working closely with Brainlabs’ Global CSO, Sue Unerman, Claire will oversee strategic excellence across the region—elevating Brainlabs’ offering through transformative, client-first thinking. Claire will also join the UK leadership team.
Claire joins from EssenceMediacom Worldwide, where she was most recently Head of Strategy, leading strategic output across 96 markets and steering global initiatives that helped major brands, including Mars and Bayer, adapt and thrive in a rapidly evolving media landscape. With extensive global experience, including leadership roles in Shanghai, Sydney, and London and at agencies including OMD and Wavemaker, Claire brings a unique blend of cultural intelligence, deep consumer insight, and passion for brand and business growth.
In her new role, Claire will be charged with setting the strategic direction for Brainlabs’ UK & EMEA operations, driving integrated strategy that merges data, media, and creativity to deliver measurable outcomes for clients. She will also partner closely with product, planning, and client leadership teams to scale Brainlabs’ strategic capabilities during a period of rapid growth and expansion.
“Claire is a powerhouse of strategic thinking,” said Dan Bottigileri, CEO of Brainlabs UK. “She has led some of the most innovative and globally resonant strategies in the business. But what makes Claire truly stand out is her ability to translate complexity into clarity—and clarity into action. We’re excited to have her lead our next wave of high-performance strategy.”
Claire Dean added: “Brainlabs is an agency I’ve long admired for its independence, boldness, and dedication to creating growth strategies that give their clients a profitable advantage. I’m excited by the opportunity to join forces with Sue again to shape strategic vision at a time when clients need sharper thinking and more inventive solutions than ever before. I can’t wait to get started.”
Claire’s arrival follows the recent appointment of Ali Reed from PHD, as part of the agency’s growth and continued momentum in the UK and EMEA. With triple-digit growth over the past 12 months globally, today’s announcement marks another major step in Brainlabs’ mission to redefine the independent, full service media agency landscape with their innovative high-performance approach to power client growth.
Read the news in Campaign UK here.
