The Cowgirls has appointed former W Communications UK chief executive Matt Brown as its managing director and partner. The appointment marks the agency's first senior executive hire since its launch two years ago.
Brown joins The Cowgirls after leaving W Communications, where he spent around 18 months. He initially joined as managing director before being promoted to UK chief executive in October last year.
Prior to W Communications, Brown spent six years at Edelman, most recently serving as vice chair of brand for EMEA after holding the role of UK managing director. Earlier in his career, he was managing partner at The Brooklyn Brothers, where he worked alongside The Cowgirls' co founders Ali Alvarez and Cali Oliver.
The Cowgirls was founded by former Brooklyn Brothers executives Ali Alvarez and Cali Oliver along with creative director Verity Fenner, whose career includes roles at BBH and AMV BBDO. The independent studio positions itself as a female founded creative business that brings the female perspective to brand communications.
The agency has worked on projects across the UK, the US and Iceland, with clients including Action for Children and Wolf Escape Games.
Announcing Brown's appointment, the agency said, "Female founded doesn't mean male excluded." It added that Brown brings the commercial expertise the studio was looking for while sharing its values and culture.
Commenting on the appointment, co founder Cali Oliver said, "The Cowgirls was founded to bring the female perspective to commercial communications, to value missing perspectives, make room for new voices, and build creative work in a way that actually values its people.
"Bringing Matt in is part of the next phase of it. His track record is built on award winning, earned first thinking. He's also one of the kindest humans to work with."
Brown said, "I've spent my career trying to find places where the work and the culture are equally worth fighting for. The Cowgirls is that, with a clarity of point of view that I find genuinely rare.
"Ali and Cali and I have history. I know what they're capable of. And Verity's craft is something I've admired from the outside for a long time. Having that level of creative rigour in the room changes what's possible. Part of my job is making sure the conditions stay right as the studio grows."
