The founders of an expanding East Yorkshire creative agency have turned to their former boss to support their rapid growth plans.
Blab Digital directors Courtney Wood and Jessica Clark worked for Jonathan Leafe at Strawberry, the business he built up from scratch in 1993, exiting with a 40-strong team.
Now heading his own eponymous consultancy, he has been drafted in by the Hessle duo as their business performance coach - drawing on his extensive experience.
It follows a move to a new office at Ergo on Bridgehead Business Park and an expansion of the creative team, with more to come.
Courtney, marketing director, said: “We’re very excited to be back working with Jonathan. I worked for him at Strawberry for seven years, from being an apprentice, and we always got on very well. It feels like we’ve just picked up on where we left off.
“The first step in our expansion plan was relocating to a larger studio. More space was essential to enable us to develop a larger team of creatives.
“When our dream office in the iconic Ergo building became available, we jumped at the opportunity. Our new studio has an idyllic view of the Humber Bridge and can comfortably fit our expanded team to allow us to create even more knockout work for our clients.”
Established in2018, Blab offers a variety of creative marketing and design services including: creative marketing and branding; social media management; blogging; email marketing; online advertising; graphic design and website design.
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Jessica, creative director, said: “Hull and East Yorkshire has a vibrant creative community and we’ve been inundated with applications from talented designers and marketers eager to progress in their careers at Blab.
“We’re always looking to recruit the very best local talent. We’re ready for the next members of our team to hit the ground running and to join us in our mission to exceed our ambitious clients’ expectations and create compelling campaigns to allow them to punch above their weight.”
Jonathan, who retained a small shareholding in retail specialist Strawberry, while also working as an ambassador for the C4DI team, told how the early seeds he helped sow have come to fruition.
“I’m working with Blab to help them fulfil their potential and accelerate their growth. Both Courtney and Jess worked at Strawberry so I got to know them very well. From early on I could see their drive and determination and I’m delighted to roll-reverse with me working for them!
“I’ve no doubt that they’ll be successful and the work I’ve seen so far is very impressive. I’d highly recommend them to any ambitious companies that want something a bit different from their creative marketing agency.”
It comes as at the other end of the spectrum apprentice Ruth Walmsley has been shortlisted for the Hull Business Awards.