Small W•rld Appoints Grace Duncan as Head of Strategy

Sep. 18, 2026

Small W•rld, the entertainment-first creative agency, today announces the appointment of Grace Duncan as Head of Strategy; a newly created role. Over the summer, the agency also welcomed Lucy Stockton as Associate Creative Director in August, and Jiaan Koch as Senior Account Director in June.

The hires follow a period of strong growth for Small W•rld, recently named ADWEEK's 6th fastest-growing agency globally, with the agency having doubled in size in the last year; most of that growth coming from expanding existing client relationships and the agency's own marketing engine. The agency has secured new partnerships over the past year with brands including Under Armour, SVEDKA Vodka, BuzzBallz, Channel 4 and Hot Topic, and continues to invest in senior leadership to support that growth.

Duncan joins from Screenshot Media, where she spent five years rising from Head of Audience Growth to Strategy Director; a route into strategy through audience and distribution rather than traditional planning. At Small W•rld she will lead strategy across the agency's retained clients and build out the strategy department, with a remit spanning cultural insight, entertainment-first creative briefing, creator media, and building measurement into every campaign from day one - the agency's answer to the biggest criticism of creator-led work: that it can't prove growth. Named in Campaign's 30 Under 30, Duncan has also been a vocal advocate for widening access to the industry, creating opportunities for young creatives and fostering in-house talent from the ground up.

The agency also recently welcomed Lucy Stockton, who joined as Associate Creative Director in August 2026. Stockton brings over a decade of social-first creative experience, most recently as a Senior Creative at U DOX, where she spent almost four years, having previously held creative roles at Ketchum London. She built her creative grounding across more than four years at Bauer Media, progressing from Social & Content Producer to Content Creative. At Small W•rld, she brings her social-first creative craft to clients including Under Armour and Hot Topic, working into Creative Partner Sadia Noor. 

Jiaan Koch joined as Senior Account Director in June 2026, bringing agency experience spanning London, Melbourne and Sydney. He joined from a Senior Account Director role at AMV BBDO, having previously held senior account roles at The Or, Droga5 and Sky Creative. Before relocating to the UK, Koch spent close to two years at DDB Group Australia, progressing from Senior Business Manager to Account Director on brands including Porsche Australia, Dulux Group, Movember and the National Gallery of Victoria. He began his career at Clemenger BBDO Melbourne and Thinkerbell, working across global brands including Mars, General Mills and the Victoria Government's Department of Education. At Small W•rld, Koch leads client relationships across Twilio, SVEDKA Vodka and a selection of other clients, working alongside Managing Partner Harvey Austin, supporting the agency's continued growth.

Grace Duncan, Head of Strategy, Small W•rld, said:

"The timing just made sense. Small W•rld is growing this fast because entertainment-first thinking actually works — brands need more than a message, they need a world worth stepping into, and creators worth inviting in to help build it. I've built my whole career at the point where audience, content and media collide, and this is one of the few agencies genuinely built around that obsession. What I want to bring is proof: making sure the work doesn't just create that world, but shows exactly what it's worth."

 

Dan Salkey, Strategy Partner and Co-Founder, Small W•rld, said:

"Most agencies can make something entertaining. Far fewer can connect it to media and prove it drove growth. That's the gap Grace closes. She's spent her whole career where creative, media and measurement meet, which is exactly where this industry is heading. We turn brands into entertainers; with Grace leading strategy, we can prove what that entertainment is actually worth."

 

Harvey Austin, Managing Partner and Founder, Small W•rld, said:

"Building out the team is one of my favourite parts of the job. Grace, Jiaan and Lucy are all exceptional at their craft, but also have a real ambition to be at a place they can help build. Very excited to see what we achieve together."