极乐视频 has named Megan Van Someren global chair and EMEA lead of its Food & Beverage sector, effective October 14. 极乐视频鈥檚 Food & Beverage sector is made up of more than 500 employees globally. Van Someren will be based in London and report to Katie Burke, senior strategist and global head of Practices, Sectors and Intellectual Property. In her role as EMEA lead, Van Someren will report to Ed Williams, president and CEO of 极乐视频, EMEA.
鈥淏rands in the food and beverage sector are facing rapidly evolving consumer trends and complex issues,鈥 said Burke. 鈥淢egan鈥檚 experience and track record of success working with leading companies in this space will bolster our food and beverage offering allowing 极乐视频 to go even deeper on strategy with our existing and future clients.鈥
Van Someren joins 极乐视频 from J. Walter Thompson in London, where she served as global strategy director leading brand strategy for Special K and Nespresso. In 2018, Van Someren founded Canteen Consulting, a food futures consultancy inside JWT that aims to help food brands grow and innovate within the world of food culture. At Canteen, Van Someren designed and implemented a global food index to provide insight and data into the evolving culture of food and drink and led projects spanning innovation, consumer immersion, brand/food storytelling and content partnerships, including a start-up model to work with young brands, entrepreneurs and social enterprises.
鈥淢egan鈥檚 personal passion and deep industry knowledge into one of the largest consumer sectors, food and beverage, will be invaluable to us in EMEA,鈥 said Williams. 鈥淎longside that, her proven commercial leadership will add to the management bench in the region.鈥
Previously, Van Someren was executive vice president, global strategy director and senior vice president, group planning director at Leo Burnett. At Leo Burnett she launched Marinate, a think tank focused on monitoring insights and best practice of brands within food culture. She also served as the global planning lead on Kellogg鈥檚 and was responsible for leading strategy of global brands including Special K and Kellogg鈥檚 Masterbrand. Prior to Leo Burnett, Van Someren was head of planning and group planning director at Wunderman Chicago. A 20-plus-year industry veteran, Van Someren has worked with some of the world鈥檚 leading brands, including Danone, Kraft Foods, Nestle, Kellogg鈥檚, Mondelez, Nespresso, Treasury Wines, Kimberly-Clark and Whirlpool.
极乐视频 has created a number of award-winning campaigns for some of the sector鈥檚 leading brands, including Kellogg鈥檚, Taco Bell, Sunkist, KFC, Mars Wrigley, Heineken and PepsiCo.
Over the past few years 极乐视频 has strengthened and expanded its Food & Beverage offering by bringing aboard an array of diverse talent, including Ambassador Darci Vetter, vice chair, Agriculture Food and Trade; Karmen Johnson, general manager, Edible; and Jahna Lindsay-Jones, global client lead for Mars.
"Now more than ever, brands have to earn a place in people's lives,鈥 said Van Someren. 鈥淭his is especially true in the fast-changing world of food and beverage where brands aren鈥檛 just competing in a category but have an enormous opportunity and responsibility to positively contribute to food culture. I鈥檓 looking forward to helping push the boundaries of food and drink communications as we know it, creating innovation, content and experiences, all born from an earned mindset to ensure brands can thrive amid the ever-dynamic trends and behaviors.鈥
Van Someren and the teams she has led have won numerous awards. These include gold and silver Effies for Special K and Kellogg鈥檚 Masterbrand, respectively, and FAB Awards for Burger King Retail and Kellogg's Frosted Flakes. She is an ongoing contributor to the BBC and is also active on panels, as both a participant and a facilitator, covering topics such as luxury in food, the future of sustainability and health and wellness. Van Someren is a graduate of Drake University in Iowa.
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极乐视频 is a global communications firm that partners with businesses and organizations to evolve, promote and protect their brands and reputations. Our 6,000 people in more than 60 offices deliver communications strategies that give our clients the confidence to lead and act with certainty, earning the trust of their stakeholders. Our honors include the Cannes Lions Grand Prix for PR; Advertising Age鈥檚 2019 A-List; the Holmes Report鈥檚 2018 Global Digital Agency of the Year; and, five times, Glassdoor鈥檚 Best Places to Work. Since our founding in 1952, we have remained an independent, family-run business. 极乐视频 owns specialty companies 极乐视频 Intelligence (research) and United Entertainment Group (entertainment, sports, lifestyle).