72andSunny Amsterdam Welcomes Next Generation of Management

72andSunny Amsterdam has welcomed the next generation of its management and promoted Lauren Portelli to managing director. In her new role, Lauren is responsible for the office’s daily balance of commercial, creative and cultural vibrancy. 72andSunny Amsterdam has also promoted Hanneke Metselaar to director of talent and culture, Sarah Sutton to director of strategy and Brendan Bell to director of brand management

These promotions celebrate a group of brilliant humans who have been essential to the agency’s culture and success to date, and signal a new era for the Amsterdam office. Along with the recent addition of Rey Andrade to the leadership team as executive creative director, this new line-up brings a wealth of non-traditional backgrounds, a depth of experience but also a fearlessness to question the status quo. 

2019 delivered a stellar year of new business growth for 72andSunny Amsterdam, that included winning Audi’s global business and bringing on William Hill and Youtube, Hack Your Future and Movember as new partners. 72andSunny Amsterdam continues to serve brands with strong footholds into tech and culture, including Google, IKEA, adidas, Axe and Klarna.

“This stellar group of humans will push us and our business in ways that are exciting, and uncomfortable. Lauren brings a mix of intelligence and empathy that has seen her steward an unparalleled depth of relationship with brands like Uber and IKEA, pushing our work into spaces as diverse as reputational consulting and employer branding. Hanneke is the brains and heart behind 72U and now brings her unique brand of creative human firepower to the whole of our business. Brendan has been the soul of our brand management discipline from day one, and it is only fitting he now step up to lead it. And while Sarah is the newest member of the group, her tenacity in getting the best ideas off the wall and out into the world makes her the ideal leader for a modern strategy offering.” said Stephanie Feeney, executive strategy director and partner, 72andSunny Amsterdam.

Lauren Portelli, Managing Director

As Managing Director, Lauren Portelli is tasked with the commercial, cultural and creative health of 72andSunny Amsterdam. Having joined the business three years ago as a group brand director leading the IKEA and Uber accounts, and more recently business development. Previously she led Google, Nike and Eurostar in a range of markets & agencies, from Sydney, to AKQA London, and Droga5 New York. Lauren’s a vinyasa yoga teacher with a side hustle in India, she keeps for sanity.

Hanneke Metselaar, Director of Talent and Culture  

Hanneke will be shaping the talent and culture discipline. She will continue to carry out the company mission to expand and diversify the creative class by attracting and retaining a diverse pool of talent and by connecting with the local community through creative projects and local partners. With years of experience in the global creative industry, Hanneke is an entrepreneur at heart. At 25 she started her own company and children's brand, which was later acquired by American toy company Hasbro Inc. Hanneke has a strong  business development sense and a passion for people. One of her favorite quotes is from Pippi Longstocking: “ I’ve never done that before so I am sure I can do it.”

Sarah Sutton, Director of Strategy 

It’s a testament to the impact that comms strategy has had on the creative and commercial success of the Amsterdam office that Sarah steps up to lead the holistic strategy discipline. Before moving to Amsterdam, Sarah was joint head of strategy at Mindshare Worldwide in London where she worked on Nike, Marks & Spencer, among others. Sarah uses her fascination with human behaviour to marry media and message, bringing ideas closer to the people they’re intended to move. Last summer Sarah started sailing and spent a few weeks at sea as a competent crew, and plans to get her RYA Day Skipper qualification this year. During the warmer months, you might also find Sarah on her kayak paddling around Artis and Amstel. 

Brendan Bell, Director of Brand Management

Brendan will lead the brand management discipline helping shape the agency’s relationship with brands, business and culture. Originally joining 72andSunny Los Angeles in 2010, Brendan has driven rapid growth across the agency network spending the last seven years in Amsterdam developing partnerships with brands such as Audi, Klarna and Google. Brendan pairs active listening with insatiable curiosity to create a culture of constant learning and creative problem solving. When not in the office you can find him immersed in a book, brushing up on all forms of mythology (sci-fi included) or navigating his boat around the canals of Amsterdam (all likely done while wearing some shade of blue).