COOLR

Directorbank sources the agency’s first COO to help drive ambitious international growth plans.

Company background

Coolr is one of the UK’s premier social media and influencer agencies. Founded in 2017 by Adam Clyne, the business has established itself as a powerhouse in the social media landscape, creating high-impact campaigns for renowned brands including Lidl, Samsung, Deliveroo, Pepsi and Burger King.

With a team of over 120 professionals based in Farringdon, their work has earned them more than 35 industry awards including five prestigious Agency of the Year titles, underscoring their reputation for excellence.

In 2024, Coolr received investment from Growth Capital Partners to empower them to expand their service offerings and continue an impressive growth trajectory, with international expansion plans on the horizon.

The brief

To support the development and execution of Coolr’s ambitious growth and expansion plan, the business sought to appoint a highly experienced and commercially-minded Chief Operating Officer.

Partnering closely with the CEO and CFO, the Chief Operating Officer would be responsible for driving operational excellence, commercial oversight and high-performance across all functions of the business. Candidates would have scaled similar businesses in high-growth, entrepreneurial environments and would have demonstrable experience of corporate strategy, operational and commercial leadership, M&A, and the development of high-performing teams and cultures.

The result

Focusing on identifying sector relevant and proven candidates with expertise in helping scale ambitious entrepreneurial international agencies, Alex MacLaverty was successfully appointed to the position.

Alex brings over 25 years’ experience to Coolr and is an expert in leading and transforming high-growth comms and marketing agencies. She has held Global Chief Operating Officer roles at two of the fastest growing international tech specialists of recent years, building both businesses from 30-people boutiques into 200+ headcount industry leaders. She has a strong track record in developing and rolling out global strategy, making acquisitions, and managing the growth and profitability of an agency from winning flagship accounts to building the high-performance teams, offerings and infrastructure to service them across the US, Europe and APAC regions.