Forward Media boosts strategic firepower with Tony Mattson

Forward Media, part of Havas Media Group, has appointed Tony Mattson as its Head of Strategy. He joins the agency this week from UM London where he worked for almost a decade, latterly as Managing Partner, Strategy.

In his new role at Forward Media, the newest agency within the Havas Media Group stable, Mattson will report into the agency’s Managing Director, Ed Cox. He will be charged with leading strategy on the O2 account and growing the agency’s strategic capabilities by instilling data and content into the planning process. On top of this, he will also be responsible for thought leadership and boosting Forward’s profile in the industry.

Mattson brings a wealth of industry experience to Forward Media having worked across an array of sectors spanning financial services (MasterCard, FSCS, AIG); FMCG (Dairy Crest); alcohol (Bacardi-Martini); Media (BBC, Telegraph Media Group) Charity (Marie Curie) and B2B (Royal Mail – this work was awarded a Silver Cannes Lions).

Ed Cox, Managing Director, Forward Media, said: “Tony is a top strategic thinker with a proven track record, and exactly the sort of talent we need as we move from our start-up phase into year two as a business. He’s going to make a big difference to both our clients’ business and to how we develop and grow as agency. We’re delighted to welcome him onto the team.”

Mattson added: “I am delighted to be joining Forward Media at such an exciting time in their development. They are pioneering a new model of 'organic-first' marketing, with a genuine drive towards integration and innovation. Allied to this, they have an entrepreneurial, challenger spirit with great ambitions to grow. I am excited to become part of the team at Forward and help them realise their ambitions.”

Forward launched in late 2014 off the back of the agency’s landmark Telefonica account win, and has a presence in 20 markets across Europe and Latin America.