MSQ Appoints Former Wavemaker CEO and Mother's Head of Media to Accelerate Media Growth

Next generation independent creative, tech and media company, MSQ, has appointed Paul Hutchison (‘Hutch’). formerly at Mother, to the newly-created dual role of Global CEO of full service media agency, Walk-In Media, and MSQ’s broader cross-agency global media proposition, MSQ Media.

Hutch, previously CEO at Wavemaker and, most recently, Head of Media at Mother, starts on October 20, drawing on his extensive 25 years’ working in large holding companies and independent agencies in the UK and Australia. 

MSQ Global CEO Peter Reid commented: “We are delighted to have secured someone of Hutch’s calibre and experience and we are all really excited about the potential contribution he can make to the agency and broader group.” 

Within Walk-in Media, he will be supported by the existing agency leadership team of Chief Investment Officer Malcolm Boxall, who has been with the agency since its inception in 2019, and UK MD, Charlotte Mullan, who joined two years ago from EssenceMediacom. Simon Davis, the founder and current CEO of Walk-In Media, is standing down by the end of the year. 

Peter Reid added: “Simon has been instrumental in Walk-In Media’s formation and leading its growth, making it the success story it is today with scaled clients including Vitality and Burger King. The agency is in great shape. We thank Simon for all he has done and wish him all the best for the future.”

As part of the new structure, Charlotte will take on day-to-day leadership of Walk-In Media in the UK. Hutch’s focus will be on the continued drive in excellent client outcomes and delivering a step-change in agency growth. Together with Malcolm, the team will build on Walk-In Media’s successes. 

As Global CEO of MSQ Media, Hutch will work closely with recently appointed Executive Director of Media, Joanna Lyall, and with Ryan Scott, CEO of MSQ’s performance marketing agency, 26PMX, to head the strategic integration and transformation of MSQ's overall media capabilities. This includes bringing together creative, media, data and tech in new and more connected ways, breaking down the traditional silos between media and creative disciplines to deliver real client value across markets. 

Hutch’s appointment is the first since Joanna Lyall was appointed this summer to lead MSQ Media in a new Board-level role. She joined after 25 years of working across global networks, scale-up and start-up environments, including MD at Mindshare and UK CEO at Brainlabs. 

Joanna Lyall commented: “Hutch joining is reflective of our wider ambitions across media within MSQ Media. His track record is truly impressive and he brings not just great agency  leadership and strategic client skills but the ability to collaborate effectively cross-discipline, bringing people together to achieve collective goals. 

“In a rapidly changing media world, where 80% of ad spend will be digital by 2030, it’s crucial that we bring our talents together, backed by investment in data and tech, to create joined-up thinking across media and creative and deliver our end-to-end offering internationally. That new model will leverage human intelligence enhanced by AI automation to deliver consistent, outcome driven marketing across all markets and channels.”

Before joining Mother, Hutch was CEO of M&C Saatchi-owned Bohemia in Sydney, returning it to significant profitable growth. At Wavemaker he led the UK merger of two agencies (MEC where he served in various roles for eight years and Maxus) to create the second largest agency in the UK with 650 people across three locations, delivering billings of around £900m. Paul’s key clients over the years include Morrison’s, Kingfisher plc, BMW/MINI, Netflix, The Premier League, Nationwide, Huawei, Pfizer, Purple Bricks and Campari.

Hutch added: “The opportunity at MSQ is massive and hugely exciting. There is a great deal of focus in the media industry just now about the back-office processes. Data and tech are really important and make a big contribution, but it’s fully understanding and interpreting how that impacts the work that delivers greater client value. 

“For that to be effective we need creative, media and data to collaborate effectively and have equity at the table. At MSQ I believe we can do that successfully because of its scale, culture and agility. The true beneficiaries of that approach will be clients who will have greater insights into their target audience and how that plays out creatively across channels to build brand momentum.

“I relish this challenge and look forward to working closely with MSQ colleagues to bring the best of creative and media thinking under one roof.”