Leeds full-service marketing agency Perfect Storm has appointed Holly Crosland to the newly created position of head of insights and CX.
The role directly addresses the widening disconnect between what brands promise in their advertising and what customers actually experience.
Crosland has previously worked with Perfect Storm as a freelance consultant, with the agency’s model comprising a core team of senior specialists, supported by a partner network of experts brought in to assist on specific projects.
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Having spent the last eight years in dedicated strategic UX and CX roles, both agency-side and in-house at Asda (aka t’Asda), Crosland will work with brands to understand what is already known about their customers, identifying blind spots and gaps in knowledge around customer needs and behaviours.
This will span everything from discovery research and existing data analysis to targeted evaluative research, UX and CX strategies, and ongoing measurement, ensuring a customer-centred approach is at the heart of every conversation. Upskilling the team and growing the agency’s network of expert partners will also be a key part of her role.
At a time when senior marketing leaders are continuously navigating both internal and external pressures, such as rapid advancements in AI, shifting consumer search behaviours, and decreasing marketing budgets, anchoring every choice against the needs of customers is vital. Holly brings extensive experience in harnessing customer-first thinking and applying this to both channel activation and wider organisational change.
Crosland said: “My passion lies in helping businesses solve complex problems, gaining a deeper understanding of their customers, and using this to inform confident, evidence-led decision-making at every level. Having worked with the talented team at Perfect Storm on a number of projects over the last couple of years, the move to start work as a permanent member of staff has felt really natural.”
She added: “I’m very much looking forward to being part of a team again, with lots of truly talented individuals, where we’re all working towards the same vision and goals – something it’s hard to replicate as a freelancer!”
Dan Svikis, strategy & effectiveness director at Perfect Storm, added: “Having worked with Holly now for two years, we know how brilliant she is at her job, and what an asset she will be to our central team. Her passion for CX and insight-led decisions has been transformative to projects she’s been involved with. We are in a time where customer experience has never been more important and a key component of driving brand value and growth. Holly’s expertise will help our clients understand buyer behaviours, remove transactional friction, and ensure their brand promise aligns perfectly with real-world execution.”
