August is usually a quieter month for marketing. This year? Anything but. Across the UK and globally, brands made bold moves in leadership, marketing, and sponsorship strategies - signalling a busy second half of the year. Here’s your snapshot of August 2025.

7,756 New Marketing Hires

Even in summer, companies kept hiring top marketing talent in huge numbers to drive growth and strategic shifts:

• Nasuni: Anthony Miller, Chief Marketing Officer
• W London: Ben Foster, Director of Marketing
• DAZN: Connor Boulter, Vice President Marketing Procurement
• Premier Foods: Catherine Lloyd, Chief Marketing Officer
• MSD Animal Health UK Ltd: Laura Moore, Global Marketing Director – Digital Commerce Performance and Acceleration Lead
• Avenga: Michael Coden, Global VP of Marketing
• VetPartners Limited: Amy Higgins, Group Data and Insight Director

Other notable hires include leaders at Adzuna, Frontier Developments, Dorchester Collection, BlackLine, Nutanix, Nvidia, Versace, and McAfee.

These appointments suggest brands are gearing up for strong Q4 campaigns, digital growth, and global expansion.

2,235 Promotions Shaping Strategy

Internal talent continues to climb, indicating evolving approaches to marketing and communications:

• Mars: Katie Griffiths, Global Brand VP – WHISKAS
• Hilton Worldwide: John Rogers, Senior Vice President Brand Management EMEA & APAC
• PepsiCo: Justin Song, Senior Marketing Director – Lipton, Europe
• Molson Coors: Debbie Mack, Marketing & Strategy Director
• TT Electronics: Stacey Vinther, Vice President of Global Marketing

Other promotions included leaders at Kyndryl, LeoVegas, Sailpoint, and several more, highlighting a mix of strategic, operational, and regional leadership development.

444 New CEOs Driving Strategic Direction

Leadership changes at the top signal broader shifts across sectors:

• Ben & Jerry’s: Jochanan Senf, CEO
• GXO Logistics: Patrick Kelleher, CEO
• DHL Supply Chain Europe: Rainer Haag, CEO
• Pizza Pilgrims: Gavin Smith, CEO
• O2 Daisy: Jo Bertam, CEO
• Athleta: Maggie Gauger, President & CEO
• Club Car: Craig Scanlon, President & CEO

These appointments suggest companies are aligning leadership to support innovation, sponsorship, and market growth.

Sector Buzz & Sponsorship Signals

August was full of conversations shaping sponsorship strategies for the months ahead:

• 6,114 companies actively discussing sponsorship — including sport, grassroots initiatives, B2B events, and sustainability projects.
• 254 companies completed funding rounds — signalling increased budgets for marketing and sponsorship.
• 1,205 companies reported increasing headcount, showing expansion and strategic investment.
• Sector focus includes Pet Food Delivery (38 companies), Global Airlines (163), Global Data Hosting (76), Independent Beauty Brands (20), and Tourism Boards (148 globally, 50 in the US).

Whether it’s ESG initiatives, brand partnerships, or product launches, August proves even “quiet” months can pack a punch.

Honch Research: Stay Ahead

With our August data, Honch gives you the insights to:

• Track top new marketing hires and promotions.
• Identify companies ramping up sponsorship activity.
• Follow recent funding rounds and headcount growth to predict new marketing budgets.
• Focus on sectors where opportunity is rising — from pet food delivery to global airlines.

August may have been summer, but for marketing and sponsorship teams, it was full throttle.

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