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Atlanta Shop Trade School Adds Sallie Baskervill and Promotes Genna Franconi

14/01/2022
Marketing & PR
Austin, USA
288
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Having launched weeks before the pandemic, content agency bolsters leadership amidst rapid growth

Trade School, an integrated content shop and full-service production studio today announced the appointment of Sallie Baskervill as managing director. Additionally, Genna Franconi has been elevated to president.

Since its inception in early 2020, Trade School has increased billings by nearly 150% and tripled its headcount, which now totals over 120 employees. The Atlanta-based agency is owned by independently-held Guided by Good (GBG) and touts The Home Depot, FedEx, SharkNinja, and Midea as part of their growing roster of clients. With the addition of Sallie and the promotion of Genna, Trade School is poised for continued growth in 2022.

Genna has been the driving force in building and growing Trade School within the GBG portfolio and promoting her to president will accelerate its growth path,” said GBG Chair and CEO Richard Ward. “With Genna’s vision and Sallie's experience, along with the impressive leadership team we already have in place, Trade School is well-positioned to deliver the content capability that modern marketers need.” 

Genna spearheaded the launch of Trade School in early 2020 as a separate content agency under GBG. After eight years at the portfolio sister agency 22squared, she recognized the need for a new model that would fill the gap between ad agencies and production houses, and began building Trade School. For the last 18 months, she has adeptly navigated the shop through the pandemic - establishing a differentiated offering, standing up an in-house production studio, expanding the team of hybrid makers and strategists, and bringing in new client partners. With her promotion to president, she will report to Ward and focus on scaling the business and preparing the agency for its next phase of growth.

Sallie brings over 16 years of experience building partnerships and driving results for some of the world's top brands and most successful companies. She joins Trade School from AKQA, where she led the growth of the Atlanta studio for nearly nine years, helping it become one of the highest-performing offices in the global portfolio. There, she oversaw blue-chip client relationships including Delta, Coca-Cola, Virgin Atlantic, and BMW. Sallie will report to Genna and focus on operational scale and organic growth across Trade School’s client portfolio. 

These moves further bolster Trade School’s leadership team following the recent hires of Ashley Kincade and Matt Silliman in new leadership roles, as well as the promotion of Sarah Anderson to executive director. 

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