New York-based creative and strategic transformation consultancy, co:collective, has hired three new strategy leads.
They include Athena Diaconis (2nd from left, main photo), who specialises in experience design; Jessica Lehmann Ash (left, main photo), who focuses on brand and experience strategy; and Marilyn Markman (2nd from right), who focuses on brand and business strategy.
The company said it also recently promoted Aude Broos (right, main photo) to strategy lead.
Co:collective hires
Diaconis most recently ran her own studio. She collaborated with brands including Spotify, Foursquare, Google and the Metropolitan Museum of Art to tackle their product, brand and operational challenges.
She is also the co-founder of a blockchain company which developed a digital financial platform for cooperative farmers. She also previously worked for management consulting firms NOBL and Undercurrent.
At co:collective Diaconis is focusing on leveraging products, services, and spaces to facilitate transformation towards a systems-oriented mindset.
Lehmann joins co:collective from FITCH, where she led the strategy practice for the New York studio.
She has nearly 10 years’ experience building brands across different sectors, disciplines and continents, from ad campaigns for the BBC and Bank of Scotland at Y&R London to digital strategy for Phillips at Ogilvy Shanghai.
Jessica is a graduate of the WPP Fellowship Programme. She honed her skills as a brand strategist in New York with roles at The Futures Company (KANTAR).
Her work at co:collective involves getting to the heart of business challenges, and using brand led, experience centric thinking to build robust solutions that live and breathe in the real world, not just in a PowerPoint deck.
Markman joins co:collective from Wolff Olins, where she was a Strategy Director. She worked across London, New York, San Francisco and Dubai.
International development
She began her career in international development. She went from working alongside underprivileged communities in Honduras to joining the World Bank’s global innovation team.
With more than 10 years experience, she’s worked with brands across the globe from legacy to disruptors to find their next wave of growth.
Some of her most recent clients include Google Cloud, Showtime, Spotify, Enel and Uber.
At co:collective Markman focuses on helping businesses tell their story, simplify their offer and engage employees in a way that cuts through and inspires.
Neil Parker, co-founder and Chief Strategy Officer of co:collective, said: ““We couldn’t be happier to welcome the multitalented Athena, Jessica and Marilyn to our team.
“Their diverse experience in brand and experience strategy across multiple industries and geographies brings new perspectives and depth to our client work.
“Complementing these hires, we’re also strengthening our strategy leadership by promoting Aude Broos to Strategy Lead.
“We’re proud to have these incredible leaders to support our growth trajectory as co: enters its 10th year of business.”