The Gold winner in this category for Campaign’s Global Agency of the Year Awards is Emma Withington, managing partner, head of planning, Manning Gottlieb OMD, UK.

Emma Withington was promoted to managing partner, head of planning in April 2021, having worked at Manning Gottlieb OMD for many years across a range of roles, from account director to business director to executive director. Most recently, she was head of planning. She sits on MG OMD’s steering group to help lead the overall agency output.

Over the past 12 months she has been involved in four pitch wins, taken home multiple awards and overseen a new planning team. She also played a critical role in MG OMD’s Media Week Agency of the Year win.  She has also taken part in 52 weekly planning forums and three judging panels.

She is an affable, pragmatic, approachable planner who genuinely loves media and is excited by the ever-evolving industry and how the agency can connect authentically with consumers to grow its clients’ brands and businesses.

Over the past year, she has steered her clients and her agency through the most dramatic changes in consumer behaviour and media consumption, responding with agility, curiosity and passion for the power of media to deliver business results for clients. She ensures that MG OMD has a full-funnel, holistic view of the consumer journey and the role media plays within it.