North East-based media agency, Route, has appointed one of the UK’s highest profile FMCG marketers to the board as Non-Executive Director.
Gareth Turner, former head of marketing for Weetabix, has over 23 years of experience in national and global roles, marketing some of the country’s biggest household brands, including John Smiths, Bulmers and Lurpak.
His appointment by Route founders and directors Darren Davidson and Ben Dascombe comes as the agency enters a new phase of growth and strategic acceleration.
As part of his role, Gareth will use his decades of expertise and industry gravitas to hone Route’s ambitious plans, setting the agency up for another year of stellar growth.
Having established his strategic marketing consultancy, Big Black Door, in 2022, Gareth was approached by Darren and invited to join the board, to provide an additional experienced perspective for the business strategy, identify market opportunities and advise on best practice for ‘big brand’ agency-client relationships.
Darren said: “I have known Gareth for over 23 years and kept abreast of how his career and vision for brand success has developed over this time. His renowned experience and ability to stay ahead of the curve makes him a vital contributor to our business.
“Collectively, we have always admired and recognised the value in Gareth’s bold, creative and organic marketing ideas, which have driven many high-profile creative campaigns of the last twenty years. His energy and enthusiasm are truly infectious and clearly the secret to his success.
“Gareth will challenge our thinking, particularly on issues of communication and market positioning, and accelerate our expansion and development as a business. We are extremely excited to have one of the best marketers in the industry on our team, confirming that 2024 is going to be another incredible year for us as an agency.”
In 2021, Gareth’s creative team at Weetabix unleashed the multi-award winning ‘Beanz on Bix’ campaign on the world, almost breaking the internet in the process. As one of the most authoritative voices in marketing, he is a regular contributor to Marketing Week – the main industry publication – and is known for his insights on marketing best practices and latest trends.
Gareth commented: “I’m excited to be working with such a talented and well-established business to help them expand. I’m looking forward to working with the board to unlock strategic opportunities, and with the broader team to set us on the path to tremendous growth. I greatly admire what Route has achieved to date and am delighted to have the opportunity to contribute to its continued success.”