• by Larissa Faw , October 21, 2020

Venables Bell + Partners is promoting Chief Operating Officer and Partner Kate Jeffers to President to focus on growth and to lead business development and client partnerships. She replaces Paul Birks-Hay who left the agency for a start-up opportunity earlier this summer.

Jeffers, a 16-year veteran of the agency is credited with helping to launch VB+P’s in-house production unit, Lumberyard, as well as its social media and retail advertising divisions. She was also instrumental in the agency’s recent debut of its new Brand AI firm B R A I V E.

She has been one of the leaders to help VB+P build a more inclusive culture, leading a variety of DEI initiatives, spanning agency salary audits to ensure equal pay. She has also recently formed a DEI Advisory Board to ensure that employees are active participants in shaping these efforts, and has led an audit of all agency service partners to guarantee what the agency calls a “high representation” of women- and minority-owned businesses. 

“Kate personifies the values that our agency is built upon - being honest, fearless and Independent,” said Paul Venables, founder and chairman, VB+P. “She has made an incredible mark on our business over the years, from client partnerships to developing new capabilities based on our clients' needs to empowering and growing our people. We're both lucky and grateful to have such a remarkable leader at our helm."