We are thrilled to have welcomed People Director, Lou Hassen to the team, to help drive the long-term growth plans at Evolved.
After studying HR at university, Lou started her career in the education sector before transitioning into tech. She has worked in a plethora of sectors focusing on change and transformation, industries such as fintech, insurtech, education, and procurement to name a few. Lou also worked with start-up company Atom Bank during their major growth period, as well as having experience in SMEs and scale-ups.
Lou joined us from Japanese insurance company, Aioi Nissay Dowa, as their People Director where she supported the business through an ambitious growth phase during an economic downturn and cost of living crisis.
Our plans for the future mean that Lou’s role is going to be pivotal for our growth. The aim of Evolved’s People Director is to focus on aligning the People and Culture activity to the business goals and maintain the businesses reputation for being at the cutting edge of People practice.
This is the first time we have hired externally at Board level which was a big decision for us, realising the need to have People and Culture recognised at a senior level to align with our ambitious objectives. This gives Lou the opportunity to influence and collaborate in a way that Evolved hasn’t had before.
Lou was attracted to the role due to the current culture at Evolved, its reputation as a Great Place To Work, and its appetite to push the boundaries of traditional people and culture practice. She thought that the business culturally aligned with what she was looking for in size, industry, award status, and being a true North East business.
She provided insights into her initial experience in the agency environment, explaining her aspiration to maintain many of the great things Evolved already has in place for its people, while also focusing on setting us up for our next phase, which is growth. She is new to the creative industry and is looking forward to immersing herself in the sector.
Chatting to us about her new role, Lou said: “The first couple of months at Evolved have been great fun! Everyone has been very welcoming, especially the office dogs, and pretty much exactly as I expected it to be in terms of people and culture, which is always a good sign!
My first month was all about getting to know the business and its people, what makes it tick, what we do well, and what needs to be better. Everyone was very open and honest right from the beginning, which has enabled me to develop the people strategy quickly that will support the business as it moves into its next phase.
It really is the best place I have ever worked and my job is to keep it that way and make sure it remains one of the best places to work in the country”
We’re also excited to announce the movement of our Managing Director, Tom Etherington, into the new role of Chief Marketing & Revenue Officer.
Tom has been instrumental to the culture and growth of Evolved over the past 6 years, most recently leading the day-to-day running of the agency. His new role will see him take on a new challenge, focusing on the company’s future growth plans.
He said, “The role of managing director has been the highlight of my career so far, but I am really excited about focusing all my efforts on the growth of the business and delivering on the exciting plans that we have for the next few years. I’m going to be looking at improving our service offering, working closer with clients, and bringing more great businesses onboard through our own marketing and sales efforts”.
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