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Jun 3 – Birthday news from AWA
In March 2004, Antonio Saca was elected president of El Salvador. Exciting stuff, but Alasdair Wightman wasn’t really paying much attention; he was busy setting up AWA.
Fast forward five years and here we are, bigger than ever and celebrating our birthday by adding kitchenware retailer, Lakeland, and Bradford-based home shopping giant, Redcats UK, to our enviable client list.
Alasdair has steered the AWA ship a long way, from the humble beginnings of a shared office on the outskirts of Leeds to a large city centre space in the Round Foundry Media Centre, which is currently home to our team of 22 AWA-ers.
Thinking back to the first months of AWA, Alasdair remembers: “My starting point was an association with a direct marketing agency, and I was very fortunate that the first client we jointly worked on was ASDA, who remain a client of AWA today. Since that time, we’ve worked with some of the region’s largest businesses including the Otto Group, HBOS, InterfaceFLOR and Republic.”
With Yorkshire and Humber identified as the fastest-growing digital sector in the UK, outside of London, we’re poised to continue our impressive growth. And to equip us for the future, Alasdair has moved into the position of Chairman, with Board Director, Christina Marks, assuming the role of Managing Director.
Alasdair explains these changes: “This is the first of a number of structural and service developments planned over the next three years, which will enable our continued growth. Christina will have overall responsibility for delivering excellent client service and developing our clients’ businesses digitally.
It’s important we continue to not only develop fantastic digital work for our clients but also maintain our highest quality of service. Indeed, the strength of our client relationships has been something that’s helped us get where we are now, and Christina’s focus will be on working closely with our entire client base to maximise the digital opportunities for their businesses.”
He continues: “My role will be focused more on new business and working alongside like-minded organisations who are keen to develop the digital reputation of Leeds. We have world-class businesses within the region, some of whom still feel the need to work with London agencies to get the most creative and effective work.
Lakeland and Redcats clearly don’t believe that, and neither do the majority of our other clients. However, there’s a job to be done in changing perceptions and I would love AWA to spearhead such a campaign.”