JOAN Creative, a New York-based independent creative and brand transformation agency, has extended its reach internationally with the launch of JOAN London, which will be led by executive creative director Kirsty Hathaway, former VP creative at Refinery29, and managing director Tom Ghiden, formerly joint head of business leadership at McCann London, who will be joining the agency in mid-August.

The new office is the first global expansion for U.S. shop JOAN Creative and its full-service maker studio, JOAN Studios--founded by Lisa Clunie and Jaime Robinson in 2016.

Leveraging JOAN’s proprietary strategic brand mapping tool, The Growth Wheel, to build brand leaders and drive transformation, JOAN London will speak directly to audiences across the U.K. and EMEA. The JOAN team has a deep knowledge of audience-building, establishing strong brands and creating cultural moments, with a focus on modern media approaches, such as editorial, content, social and digital. JOAN London brings together a team of diverse backgrounds and expertise to deliver the JOAN mission of making legendary brands modern, and modern brands legendary. 

Clunie, co-founder and CEO at JOAN, commented: “The U.K. is renowned for its world-leading culture and diversity and it perfectly represents everything that is important to JOAN. We have big ambitions for the U.K., and we’re ready to create iconic moments for iconic brands and drive all-important change.”

Robinson, co-founder and chief creative officer at JOAN, said, “Working with Kirsty has been wildly thrilling. She never ceases to surprise me, and she and Tom have an uncanny knack for building ideas that hit home with real people with real eyeballs and real dreams. Expect huge things.”

Hathaway said, “I can’t wait to fuse JOAN’s joyfully rebellious attitude, strategic prowess and big thinking with my editorial and culture-driven background to help build modern brands and tell impactful stories. I am excited about being able to merge the best culture-making talent, the most interesting brains and true diverse thinking from both the advertising and editorial worlds to bring something new to London’s advertising.” 

Ghiden said, “I’ve always believed in the significance of inclusivity. JOAN London celebrates the magic that comes from a beautifully curated group of people bringing together diverse thinking from all walks of life and experience--gender, race, LGBTQ+, Neurodiversity, socio-economic diversity, career, passions and more. We can’t wait to start working with brands that are excited about doing something new.”

The launch of JOAN London comes at a time of significant momentum for the fast-growing agency. The new office opens with a roster of clients that already includes eBay, Cereal Partners Worldwide (CPW), Rare Beauty, and mission-led start-up, Luna Daily. In the past year, the agency has welcomed dozens of new employees and moved into a new office in New York to accommodate its growing team.