Rachel Forde
A passionate, innovative thinker with significant UK leadership experience, Rachel Forde was appointed CEO of UM UK in July 2018.
Prior to that, as CEO, she led the team that rebranded Mediavest to Spark Foundry in 2017. Rachel has spent the majority of her 20+ year career in London; with a large part across Proctor and Gamble. She notably brought 4 agencies together to form the client dedicated agency model; P&G United: integrating global, regional and local planning and buying, under Starcom Mediavest Group.
Rachel has worked across a wealth of sectors, including several top clients Wyeth, Kraft, Muller, Universal Pictures, Kering and MGRover.
Throughout her career she has led highly diverse teams, which have transformed clients’ businesses and earned numerous awards, judging many awards herself. As an active member of WACL, Rachel is a regular champion of diversity and chair of the Future Leaders Award committee, which recognises rising female talent and supports then with training bursaries. She is also a regular contributor on panels and industry affairs.
Rachel makes a point to hire people who have a passion for work, and a passion for life, but above all, a sense of humour.
At home, she loves rambling around Richmond Park with her husband, 2 girls and dog and as a seasoned traveller, Rachel is always looking out for her next adventure abroad.
Why I am judging the awards... "I am extremely excited to be judging The Drum OOH Awards this year. Imagination, alongside innovative tech, lies at the forefront of the OOH industry. This, coupled with the diverse range of categories included in the awards, means that we are sure to witness some great work.
I’m looking forward to seeing campaigns that, through creativity and consumer insight, have engaged audiences in a unique way. It’s always wonderful to see work that pushes at the boundaries of advertising, and challenges our perception of what we thought was possible."
