Reign has appointed Adam Smith as its new head of planning and strategy to drive the agency’s strategic offering and multi-channel growth.
Smith brings agency tier senior experience to Reign following a five-year tenure at PHD, where he served as planning director, bringing deep expertise in high-level strategic planning, consumer audience mapping, and market research.
His primary focus at Reign will span brand strategy, detailed audience analysis, media planning, and cross-channel buying strategies, while the hire reinforces Reign’s core promise to provide C-suite and board-level involvement on every brief with zero junior hand-offs.
Smith’s appointment also strengthens Reign’s focus on building data-backed media plans that deliver measurable commercial outcomes, ROI, and business growth for clients rather than focusing solely on media spend.
The addition of a former PHD strategist highlights Reign’s continued expansion in the regional market, offering UK brands access to top-tier strategic leadership.
Simon Rigby, co-founder and media director at Altrincham-based Reign, said: “Adam joining Reign is a massive win for us and a clear signal of where we are heading as an agency. Having worked at top-tier networks like PHD, he brings high-level strategic capability that directly aligns with our mission to focus on commercial outcomes rather than media spend.
“Brands are increasingly tired of being handed off to junior teams at larger network agencies. Bringing Adam on board ensures our clients continue to get C-suite strategic thinking on every brief, helping them scale efficiently through data-backed media planning.”
Newly appointed planning and strategy chief Smith added: “I’m thrilled to join Reign at such a pivotal moment in its growth journey. Danielle and Simon have rapidly built a phenomenal agency that completely aligns with my belief in prioritising media effectiveness over efficiency.
“By stripping away the guesswork and ensuring rigorous measurement is a hygiene factor rather than an afterthought, Reign is already delivering genuine commercial impact for clients. I look forward to building our planning team and working with our clients to deliver disproportionate success.”
