Wavemaker UK Appoints Nathan O’Connor as Head of Paid Social

Wavemaker has appointed former Publicis Imagine Social Lead Nathan O’Connor as head of paid social. Nathan will sit on the agency’s activation leadership team, reporting to Ian Stevens, chief investment officer and will be responsible for delivering unrivalled work, and exceptional performance on social across the agency’s client base, as well as developing new models, services, and talent within the discipline. 

An experienced and award-winning social specialist, Nathan brings a wide breadth of experience to the role, having previously held senior positions across both the UK and EMEA for agencies including Publicis and Mindshare and clients including Nike, Spotify and L’Oréal. Most recently, Nathan led the Social Team for Publicis Imagine, managing all Disney social channels across Europe and running a number of high profile launches across multiple markets including Disney+ and Avatar 2 which broke box office records. 

As head of social, Nathan is tasked with building and enhancing a rapidly expanding team of best-in-class paid social specialists, tools, technology, and processes.

His announcement follows a raft of senior hires and promotions across the agency’s activation and planning teams including Thinkbox alum Sam Olive as head of video and the recent promotion of general manager Emma Moorhead to head of channel planning, following former head of planning Elliott Millard’s ascension to chief strategy and planning officer in April 2023. 

Ian Stevens, chief investment officer said, “Nathan brings an impressive breadth of experience, confidence and skill to what is a hugely important role in our business. I’ve no doubt that he will prove a valuable partner to our clients as they seek to navigate the ever-evolving social landscape and unlock better ways to grow.”

Nathan O’Connor added, “I’m very proud to be joining Wavemaker at such an exciting time for the agency. The opportunity to be a part of an agency that has growth at the forefront of what it does is hugely motivating."