Executive Commercial & Brand Director and Director of Marketing
The Roles:
Aardman
The Client:
Aardman, a globally recognised and highly acclaimed animation studio, has captivated audiences worldwide with its distinctive brand of entertainment. From feature films and television series to commercials, and interactive projects, their productions have garnered numerous prestigious awards, including multiple Oscars and BAFTAs. Known for its innovative storytelling, memorable characters, and exceptional craftsmanship, Aardman continues to push creative boundaries, delivering visually compelling content across diverse platforms and solidifying its position as an industry leader.
We have a long-standing relationship with Aardman, helping them with numerous senior leadership appointments, including a recent search campaign for Trustees and a wide-ranging leadership consulting project. This case study will focus on our search campaigns for their Executive Commercial & Brand Director, and Director of Marketing.
Both roles are key to ensuring Aardman remains a world leader in animation. The Executive Commercial & Brand Director is responsible for the financing, distribution, licensing and marketing strategies, and the long-term commercial and brand planning of the company’s animated intellectual property (IP). They define the global audience for each IP, identifying and prioritizing the primary drivers to launch and develop Aardman’s brands. Given the Board-level significance of this role, the selected candidate needed to complement the Board’s existing expertise and demonstrably enhance discussions and decision-making.
The Director of Marketing is responsible for the strategic direction of all Aardman brands, creating and implementing strategies that drive long-term brand equity and support sales and brand activations globally. Leading the brand, marketing and PR team, they ensure all internal and external partners share a common creative vision. For this placement, we needed to identify individuals who could balance operational, hands-on delivery with leadership and strategic input. The brief was very broad, so meeting all criteria was a key challenge.
With these two positions integral to Aardman’s continued success, the stakes were high – we needed to find the right people.
Simon Quinn, Moon’s Director of Executive Search, oversaw two separate search campaigns for these positions. Each search was built around the specific responsibilities of the role and the values and principles underpinning Aardman’s work. While the campaigns were distinct in nature, they both involved targeted advertising, modern headhunting practices, in-depth selection processes and multi-stage interviews.
Both campaigns generated a huge number of applications from qualified individuals, demonstrating the widespread admiration for the Aardman brand. We partnered closely with Aardman’s leadership team, providing support and strategic guidance to navigate the high volume of exceptional candidates. Following a structured selection process and meticulous multi-stage interviews, we produced comprehensive reports on the top candidates for each role, outlining their strengths, areas for improvement and potential impact on the organisation.
We’re delighted that Aardman decided to appoint two of our recommended candidates. Emma Hardie was placed as Executive Commercial & Brand Director, and Amy Pearson as Director of Marketing.
Emma Hardie, the former Commercial Director of Global Entertainment for BBC Studios, has extensive experience driving creative and commercial growth. She has a proven track record of identifying and developing IP with international commercial potential and delivering global brand extensions and new content partnerships. Ms Hardie’s financial skills and brand strategy expertise will help Aardman implement a successful long-term plan for its animated intellectual property.
Amy Pearson adds over 20 years of experience in brand marketing and communications to the Aardman team. She has led award-winning campaigns across various intellectual properties, including the Beano and Postman Pat. Ms Pearson’s proven ability to grow businesses through commercial innovation positions Aardman for continued success. The two placed candidates will work closely to develop global brand strategies for each IP – ensuring Aardman continues to thrive as a world-leading animation studio.
Emma Hardie commented:
“Simon was great at every stage of the process. He was clear on what was required at each stage, and shared insightful feedback throughout. I always felt in the loop about how things were progressing. Moon is a fantastic asset to Bristol, both in highlighting and developing the talent pool in the region.”
Amy Pearson commented:
“Aardman has always been the north star for creative animated content and I’m incredibly excited to join such a successful, iconic and Oscar winning studio! Simon was a constant support and ally throughout the process, and I’m very grateful for all the guidance I received”.
Simon Quinn commented:
"The remarkable interest in these two positions highlights the strong appeal and popularity of the Aardman brand. Highly detailed selection processes were essential to pinpoint candidates who possessed the necessary skills and aligned perfectly with Aardman's unique culture."
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