Scottish creative media agency ALT is launching a new Manchester office as the agency expands beyond its Glasgow base and responds to Manchester’s growing reputation as a media hub.
The news follows the installation of a new leadership team in May and reflects the growth of ALT since it was founded by husband-wife duo David and Laura Haggerty in 2019 with the goal of “putting creativity at the heart of media planning.”
The agency now boasts 25 full-time employees serving a roster of global clients, including UEFA and Whyte & Mackay.
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The new office is in the landmark No.1 St Michael’s complex in central Manchester, with Channel 4 and audience design business Skyrise as neighbours. David and Laura Haggerty, founders and managing partners, will head up the new location, supported by the ALT board which includes MD Tala Cook, creative media director Nathan White, and campaigns director Fiona Hayes.
Two hires have been made to support the expansion, with day-to-day Manchester operations to be led by Martin Roberts, business director and supported by Shivani Kulshrestha, who has been appointed strategy and planning director.
Roberts brings a wealth of experience, accrued working both at media owners and agency-side. He spent ten years at Dentsu, eventually becoming head of programmatic for the UK, and has since founded digital reseller agency Mediaworx and been part of the senior leadership teams at advertising technology firms including SoSquared and Adform.
Kulshrestha joins from Green Park and brings over ten years’ experience leading digital-first, integrated strategies for brands like adidas, Meta, Spotify, Audi, Starbucks, Glenmorangie and Tesco Mobile across the UK, Europe and the Middle East. Before Green Park, she spent time at John Doe and We Are Social.
The Glasgow team will support the new office with planning and campaign delivery on an interim basis, with a hiring round opening soon in Manchester.
Co-founder David Haggerty, said: “With ALT going from strength to strength in Glasgow, expanding to Manchester just made sense. Like Glasgow, it is an inspiring city of creativity and culture and has become a thriving media hub, with the likes of SKY and Channel 4 setting up bases there, as well as an exciting roster of UK brands and a dynamic agency scene.
“Laura and I have both worked in Manchester in the past, so it felt like a natural next step to bring our Attention Design vision back here after refining and proving the approach up North. As media continues to fracture and new possibilities emerge, it’s more important than ever to put audience-first creative insights at the heart of campaigns. Having already led global projects from our Glasgow headquarters, a Manchester expansion provides a vital bridge to the region’s exceptional media and creative community.”
