Today, sparks & honey, Omnicom’s cultural intelligence consultancy, announced two senior promotions, Hannah Hickman has been promoted to VP of client strategy and head of youth practice and Robb Henzi has been elevated to senior vice president and head of policy & philanthropy practice, effective immediately. In their new roles, Hannah and Robb will be the driving force behind the development of the consultancy’s two new consulting practices rolling out this year. They each will be charged with establishing and managing the vision and strategy of their respective focus areas, along with building new methodologies and intelligence models that tackle identified challenges within these evolving sectors.

“For years, sparks & honey has explored the shifts in culture that drive change within these areas. Trailing on the success of our DE&I practice launch last year, we are thrilled to be able to expand our offering to help executives stay ahead of these changing landscapes through our disruptive approach to consulting,” said Terry Young, CEO, sparks & honey. “Having Hannah and Robb head up these new practices allows us to dig even deeper into these two evolving areas of culture, to be able to guide leaders of modern, global organizations through all the growing intricacies and new areas of opportunity.”

With a deep understanding of Gen Z insights and an interest in the nuances, subcultures and contradictions shaping their impact, Hannah Hickman will lead sparks & honey’s new Youth practice and will continue to help clients explore how to make culturally relevant business decisions around the outsized impact of this new generation of consumers – both inside and outside of organisations – across brand strategy, marketing and product innovation.

“While Gen Z might be the most studied generation yet, despite the volume of insights, it is easy to get a flat picture of them,” said Hannah. “I am thrilled to spearhead sparks & honey’s new Youth practice through innovative frameworks and a strategic approach to reshape the way businesses think about youth insights as they continue to gain economic, political and cultural power.”

Beginning her career as the seventh employee of a social networking start up seeking to connect people to causes important to them, Hannah has over a decade of experience working with brands, advocacy organisations and non-profits to navigate changes in consumer behaviours, social technology and media ecosystems. Prior to sparks & honey, Hannah worked at a variety of digital-first firms exploring everything from the rise of AR and VR tech and immersive experiences to the evolution of brand Twitter.

Having been with the company for over five years, Robb Henzi will oversee the development of spark’s & honey’s new Policy & Philanthropy practice – harnessing cultural insight to help clients navigate the challenges in this sector, establish a view of where the world is going, and create impact strategies that benefit both people and the planet. Prior to sparks & honey, Robb worked in various strategic roles across the agency, digital media and management consulting worlds, touching clients across CPG, beauty, healthcare, big tech and more. He has also worked with the US government, major foundations and non-governmental organisations such as the World Economic Forum. Robb is also a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on Agile Governance.

“As we continue to navigate a challenging pandemic, it is clear that organisations of all kinds have a role to play in tackling humanity’s greatest challenges,” said Robb. “Having led the policy-focused engagements at sparks & honey for years now, this role is an exciting next step in that journey to help clients navigate the issues facing humanity in the worlds of policy and philanthropy.”

Of the recent philanthropic strategy work performed by sparks & honey, Carrie Morgridge, chief disruptor of the Morgridge Family Foundation said: "The Future of Giving Report produced by sparks & honey is one of the best investments I’ve ever made. I’m proud of the work we continue to do with sparks & honey in disrupting philanthropy. They are truly leaders in guiding the non-profit sector on where to place bets for an impactful future .”