OVO bolsters marketing and comms teams

Energy provider OVO has appointed Dyson’s Adam Rostom as chief marketing officer and named the Guardian’s Katie Thompson as its new comms director, as the company looks to build its brand and drive growth plans.

Rostom, who joins OVO later this month, was previously global category director for cordless and robot vacuum cleaners at Dyson.

Prior to that, he was group marketing director at Dyson, leading a 150-strong team to deliver global launches of key innovations, such as Dyson’s cordless vacuums and Air MultiplierTM fans.

Before joining Dyson, Rostom ran marketing activity for innocent drinks, where he came up with the idea for the brand’s Big Knit project.

In his new role at OVO, Rostom will focus on enhancing OVO’s brand, with a brief to increase awareness of its customer proposition to bring energy into the 21st century “through innovative products and a seamless digital experience”.

Rostom said: “I like disruptors. Companies unafraid to break with conventional thinking and tired rules to bring better products and services to market – the kind people deserve. OVO doesn’t just sell energy. The innovation agenda at OVO is huge. This is an incredible opportunity for me to add to a strong proposition and amplify it. I can’t wait to propel OVO to even bigger things.”

Thompson joins OVO as comms director following a 15 year career in comms working at global consumer-facing companies including Guardian News & Media and Coca-Cola, as well as Portland Communications, where she led campaigns for brands including Google and Facebook.

She is currently VP of comms for the Guardian’s US operation, based in New York, and has also overseen comms strategy for projects including the publication’s launch in Australia and the relaunch of its website in 2014.

Before that, she spent three years at Coca-Cola, with responsibility for comms activity for the company’s sponsorship of the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Thompson will take on her new role at OVO in January 2017.

“OVO has a great reputation as a purpose-driven company that is underpinned by a clear and powerful set of values”, Thompson said. “I look forward to finding new and compelling ways to tell the company’s unique story.”

Stephen Fitzpatrick, CEO at OVO, said of Rostom’s and Thompson’s appointments: “We’ve built an incredible brand at OVO and winning a big award was a testament to this but I feel like we’ve only scratched the surface of what’s possible.

“Adam and Katie have years of experience working with some of the world’s biggest and most loved brands and they will play a huge role in achieving our mission of creating the world’s most trusted energy company.”