Initiative star duo James Shoreland and Will Parrish to lead VCCP Media

“It’s time for media to take its anorak off”

VCCP Media announces the arrival of James Shoreland and Will Parrish as its new CEO and CSO as it invests in its top team, aiming to challenge the status quo of media. The pair have joined from Initiative Media where they worked together for the past six years. 

James and Will were instrumental in turning around the fortunes of the IPG Mediabrands-owned media shop, winning brands such as Deliveroo, NatWest and Nike.

The new hires follow new business wins for VCCP Media who have picked up clients including Wilkinson Sword, Chilly’s, Bulldog and Krispy Kreme - James and Will have been tasked with building on this recent success and reshaping the strategy to meet the challenges and opportunities presented by the shifting media landscape.

James Shoreland, who will also sit on the VCCP Group Board, said: “The increasing number of specialisations in media has led agencies away from the power of creativity. I believe an agency that focuses on creativity in media, and the creative within media, will unleash the potential of both brands and people. VCCP is the perfect place to do just that.”

Will Parrish, Chief Strategy Officer, added: “It’s time for media to take its anorak off and it feels like VCCP are firing the starting pistol. Challenging media to become creative’s super power and creative to become media’s. Challenging mediocrity in media - we have all these new paintbrushes at our disposal for media to be creative and confident,  that’s something I just couldn’t turn down.”

Michael Sugden, CEO of the VCCP Partnership, who James Shoreland will report to, said: “We're delighted to snare two people of James and Will's calibre. They are a natural fit with VCCP's challenger culture and there's a lot to challenge in today's media landscape. One of those challenges is the fragmentation of creative and media thinking. James and Will share our belief that the best work comes from treating creative and media as one so we’re absolutely thrilled to welcome them to the VCCP family.”

Tara Marus will become Chief Operating Officer reporting into James Shoreland while Simon Jenkins will become Chief Planning Officer reporting into Will Parrish.