Manchester lead generation agency for the creative industries Future Factory has appointed Carolyn Laing as managing director.
Laing joins from Collective World, where she served as managing director for eight years, gaining B-Corp accreditation and working with clients including Hyundai, MG Motors, Mercedes F1 and Unilever.
Her career spans over 30 years in the independent creative agency sector. She was part of the core team at BD Network that set up its London office and grew the team to 200 people, winning clients including Lurpak, Anheuser Busch, Molson Coors, McCain and Aperol. She has also held the position of MD at Arc Edinburgh, Publicis Groupe.
In her new role, Carolyn will have overall responsibility for the Future Factory, strengthening the agency’s leadership team and growth focus.
Sam Wheatman will move into the newly created role of growth & marketing director for Future Factory, leaning into his commercial expertise with a view to supercharging the agency’s growth.
“Proud Scot” Laing said: “I want to utilise my 30+ years’ experience leading and managing growth in the creative agency industry to help agency leaders navigate these unprecedented times. The increasing move to in-housing and value equation with AI enabled tools leaves little mind space for bottom line growth and the essential new business agenda. Future Factory is incredibly well placed to serve agencies that require expertise and extra firepower to fuel their growth agenda, and being able to lean into the wider Ingenuity Group resources is fantastic and will add even more tangible value for our clients.”
Growth & marketing director Wheatman added: “Carolyn joining marks a pivotal moment for us. I’m incredibly excited about the experience she brings and the energy and warmth of her approach. I look forward to working together to achieve great things for our clients and our team.
Future Factory is a lead generation agency, driving new business for digital, creative, design, comms and live experience agencies. Founded in 2011, the agency has operates offices in London and Glasgow as well as its Manchester base.
