New Trustees Join the Board

We have added a trio of senior industry figures to our board of trustees.

The appointment of Jo Arden, Harjot Singh and Sabina Usher is the result of a pledge by Tom Knox, the MullenLowe executive partner, who was named HAT chair at the end of last year, to add fresh blood to the board.

All three – whose nominations were approved at HAT’s annual meeting this week - have backgrounds as strategists and planners. Arden is Ogilvy UK’s chief strategy officer while Usher is strategy director at OMD UK. Singh is global chief strategy officer at McCann Worldgroup.

Their arrival comes as HAT, the world’s largest advertising archive, looks to extend its Ad Memoire programme which uses famous ads from the 50s and 60s to help improve the lives of those with dementia in hospitals and care homes.

At the same time, it is hoping to raise its profile while creating a new source of revenue with the launch of a Friends and Patrons scheme at the IPA in June.

Knox said: “I’m delighted that we’ve attracted three such well-connected and accomplished industry practitioners to HAT’s board. As strategists and planners, they bring a diversity of age and experience to our mix of trustees as we look to preserve agency legacy, celebrate brand heritage, engage with students and support dementia care.”

Arden, a one-time colleague of Knox at MullenLowe, has worked with WACL on driving gender equality and writes regularly for Campaign. She said: “As Ogilvy has entrusted its collections into HAT’s care for many years, I know how an archive adds value to agencies and their clients.”

Singh commented: “Far from being a stuffy archive, HAT’s work is relevant, contemporary, and sustainable. HAT’s brand archaeology service can help win new business because understanding the past is crucial for creating impactful change in future and gaining a competitive edge.”

Usher, who featured in Media Week’s “30 Under 30” rankings in 2020, said: “HAT's extraordinary archive reminds us of the power of what came before us. We need more brand archeologists, fewer neophiles. I’m proud to be a next generation steward. Time to get digging.”

The three will fill vacancies on the board created by the departures of Geoff Russell, Knox’s predecessor as chair, Graham Hinton, John Billett, Simon Goode, Peter Buchanan and John Tylee. All become Founding Patrons.

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