Industry Legend Sue Unerman Joins Brainlabs as Global Chief Strategy Officer

We’re delighted to welcome Sue Unerman who joins us with a remit to create powerful and progressive strategic propositions for the agency’s clients worldwide as Brainlabs continues to redefine the next era of media agencies.

Sue joins from EssenceMediacom after a 34 year tenure at the GroupM owned agency. Here she held the role of Chief Transformation Officer, EMX & Global Head of Relevance EM Creative Futures, an extension of the role she held at EssenceMediacom UK for over 6 years. Prior to this she had various strategy roles at MediaCom including head of planning, Chief Strategy Officer, and CTO.

Amongst her many accolades, Sue is a Cannes Lions ‘Competition for Good’ winner and Glass Lions Judge, a Fellow of the IPA, regular contributor to Campaign magazine and is frequently named as a leading innovator and digital pioneer. Notably, she has been included on the FT HERoes list, IPAi list and was named CEO Today’s 2019 Business Women of the Year. She has also co-authored three best-selling books: Belonging, The Glass Wall, and Tell the Truth with a fourth book, A Year of Creativity, due to be released in September 2024.

Brainlabs has grown exponentially in recent years, transforming from a PPC agency into one of the fastest growing full-service independent media agencies, with offices across key locations serving Europe, Namer, Latam and APAC. With clients including Estée Lauder Companies, adidas, Polaroid and Walmart, last year the agency announced its new investment partner, private equity firm Falfurrias Capital Partners, which has further accelerated the agency’s global expansion. In late 2023 opened the doors of its new Poland operations followed by the acquisition of Australia’s leading independent digital media agency, Sparro in January 2024.

Unerman said of her new role: “I am thrilled to be embarking on this new journey as Chief Strategy Officer at Brainlabs. The advertising landscape is rapidly evolving, and I relish the opportunity to collaborate with my new colleagues and clients in pioneering innovative communication strategies. In this new era, it is crucial to craft narratives that resonate deeply, capture attention, and drive meaningful connections and outcomes. I look forward to tapping into the collective expertise and fresh perspectives within the agency to push boundaries and deliver impactful campaigns that leave an indelible mark. Together, we will redefine strategy in today’s dynamic marketplace.”

Daniel Gilbert, Global CEO of Brainlabs said: “This marks a defining moment for Brainlabs as we carve a path as the High Performance media agency – a new era of media agency powered by people, data and technology. Sue helped craft and define the current generation of media strategy and I am so excited that she is ready to rock again to help define the new generation. She is a legend and an inspiration to so many throughout our industry and I’m excited to bring Sue’s unique talents to our clients at Brainlabs. She possesses a rare ability to see around the corner, and get ahead of competitors within the digital, media and marketing space with a track record of solving business challenges for some of the biggest advertisers in the world through strategic breakthrough and innovation.“

Read the full announcement in Campaign Magazine here