Harbour Group Strengthens leadership with Appointment of Caitlin Ryan and Charlie Canetty-Clarke

Jan. 07, 2025

Harbour Group, the marketing services company launched by the agency collective Harbour with Curious and Flourish in August 2024, has strengthened its leadership with two senior appointments.

The group has named Caitlin Ryan, former Vice President of Meta’s EMEA Creative Shop, as its first Group Non-Executive Director. In this newly created role, Ryan will bring her extensive experience from the agency world and Meta to advise the Harbour Group board.

With a 25-year career in creative leadership, Ryan has held senior roles at agencies including Proximity, Karmarama, and Cheil Worldwide. During nearly six years at Meta, she led creative output across all platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Messenger, delivering award-winning campaigns for a wide range of clients, while also fostering a strong creative culture and strategic vision that drove significant incremental revenue across EMEA.

Ryan is also the founder and joint owner of independent café group Lantana Restaurants, which launched in 2009.

The group has also appointed Charlie Canetty-Clarke as its Group New Business Director. Canetty-Clarke joins from Digitas, where she served as New Business and Partnerships Lead, driving the agency’s growth strategy. In this role, she led pitches and prospecting efforts, managed the new business team, and developed relationships with key strategic partners and intermediaries. Prior to this, she worked at Rufus Leonard, which was part of the Harbour Collective before being acquired by Capgemini.

In her new role, Canetty-Clarke will be responsible for developing Harbour Group’s new business strategy, starting with cornerstone agencies Curious and Flourish, before expanding her focus to other agencies joining the group. She will report directly to Paul Hammersley, CEO of Harbour Group.

Harbour Group consists of specialist, discrete marketing agencies which have chosen to come together in shared ownership. It was launched in August 2024 following the acquisition of Harbour Collective members Curious, the London based creative services business, and Flourish, the Bristol based specialist CRM agency, in a deal backed by investment manager Beach Point Capital. The group plans to acquire additional agencies in key service areas, including customer acquisition and optimisation, PR and social, content, and customer experience.

Paul Hammersley, CEO of Harbour Group, commented:

“These appointments usher in an exciting new phase for Harbour Group.

I’ve had the privilege of working closely with Caitlin before and have seen her exceptional skills and strengths first-hand. Her experience and knowledge from years of working at the intersection of creativity, technology, and data speak for themselves. She has a rare ability to be both supportive and challenging, pushing people harder, but in a fun and enjoyable environment. Caitlin is the perfect choice for our first Non-Executive Director and will play a key role in driving our growth.

Charlie has built an impressive reputation, having worked at respected agencies like Digitas and Rufus Leonard. She has a deep understanding of how to create impactful new business strategies and processes. Her energy, emotional intelligence, and ability to collaborate across diverse agencies make her a great fit for our fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment. Most importantly, she recognises the significant opportunities our plans for Harbour Group present.”

 

Caitlin Ryan, Group Non-Executive Director, Harbour Group, added:

“I’m thrilled to join Harbour Group at such a pivotal time.

Having worked with many agency groups and holding companies over the years, it’s clear that there’s an opportunity for a new agency model. My experience at Meta, working with startups and scale-ups, has also given me a fresh perspective on digital marketing and innovation. Harbour’s founders share that bold, forward-thinking vision, building an agency model designed for the future—agile, flexible, and free from the constraints of legacy systems. I’m looking forward to being a part of shaping this next chapter."

 

Charlie Canetty-Clarke, Group New Business Director, Harbour Group, concluded:

"Harbour Group’s shared ownership model was an immediate draw for me. It allows each agency to focus on what they do best while being supported by a network of sister agencies with specialist, complementary skillsets.

I’m looking forward to working closely with each agency to define and deliver their growth strategies, while exploring how the Harbour Group proposition can elevate their offerings.

The way brands work with marketing agencies has evolved, and the Harbour team bring the curiosity and ambition needed to adapt to these shifting demands. I’m excited to get started and play a part in driving Harbour Group into its next phase of growth."