Will Burghes has been appointed head of marketing science at ad agency Argonaut. He will report to CMO Katie Miller and be charged with building and leading the shop’s newly formed marketing science division, which will be focused on harnessing data to help Argonaut continue to craft valuable creative.

Burghes joins Argonaut after serving as SVP of insight & analytics at Citizen Relations and executive director of Data & Analytics at Forsman & Bodenfors New York. 

“We want to assemble a team of creative analysts who are more than data storytellers and who understand how to use data as inspiration for creativity,” said Burghes. “Data is not just for putting creative through testing and writing campaign wrap-up reports; we use data to inform strategy, write briefs, assist with connections planning and more.” 

Burghes has spent his professional life helping brands make better decisions using data, with the firm belief that it can be a powerful source of creative inspiration. Originally from London, he moved to New York City in 2008 and began his career as a management consultant before working on Wall Street and then at the adventure running company Tough Mudder, where he ultimately served as SVP of strategy.

During his six-year tenure at Forsman & Bodenfors New York, Burghes worked his way up to executive director of data & analytics, while also serving on the agency’s global advisory board and further honing his expertise in strategic planning, fintech, media and web analytics, and creative performance analysis. After a brief stint in the PR sector as SVP of insights & analytics at Citizen Relations, Burghes found himself called back to the agency world at Argonaut, which maintains a staff of more than 100 employees across San Francisco and New York.