The Gate Hires Marina Hidalgo Blanco as First Growth Director

The Gate has boosted its team with the appointment of Marina Hidalgo Blanco as its first growth director.

Marina joins from Wunderman Thompson UK where she was creative content director, directly responsible for helping the agency achieve a record number of national and international awards and winning the highest number of Cannes Lions in the history of the agency. 

She also has extensive international experience at high-profile agencies in New York and Buenos Aires as well as London.

In her role at The Gate, Marina will report to CEO Jamie Elliott, and be responsible for raising the agency’s profile as well as creating an agenda for new business and organic growth, working in partnership with the MSQ marketing team.

Jamie Elliott, CEO The Gate London, said: “Marina comes with a cracking reputation for getting stuff done and at a very high standard. It is a marker of our ambition for 2022 that we have created this role for her, she’s a brilliant addition to the team.”

Marina Hidalgo Blanco said: “It was the incredible work that was being produced and the ambitious uber-talented team that truly drew me to The Gate. It has long been on my radar as an agency I would love to work for - delivering one award-winning campaign after another, they are hard to miss. I am so excited to be joining at such a pivotal point in the agency’s growth and being part of this incredible team as they look set to achieve another record year, I anticipate fantastic things ahead.”

The Gate has won a variety of high profile industry awards this year including: the Transport for London Diversity in Advertising competition for its ‘Sex Never Gets Old’ campaign for Replens; five Cannes Lions (including Gold); three D&AD Pencils (including Yellow); five Creative Circle awards (including two Gold); three CLIOs; two One Show Pencils; four Kinsale Sharks (including two Gold); APG Gold for Creative Strategy; Most effective use of data and insight at The Marketing Society awards; and, Strategy Team of the Year at The Drum’s Business Awards. It was also shortlisted for Small Agency of the Year at the Oystercatcher Awards.