Zeno London has appointed Catherine Smiles, former vice president of UK communications at Warner Music Group, to spearhead the expansion of Zeno Group’s Sports and Entertainment speciality in the UK.
Catherine re-joins the agency as a director after previous freelancing roles. Recognised as one of the UK’s Top Ten Entertainment Communications professionals (in-house) by PRWeek’s 2023 and 2024 UK Power Book, Smiles was responsible for internal and external communications and reputational strategy for Warner Music UK. Beginning her career in music and talent publicity, she also worked with artists including Taylor Swift, One Direction and Alicia Keys and recently served as interim head of communications for Black Lives in Music.
Zeno London’s expanded speciality will connect brands meaningfully to talent and territory in entertainment, sport, culture and gaming, from initial advisory to activation with earned media impact at the core. Providing consultancy that moves beyond celebrity badging, the integrated, data-driven offer will put fans at the heart of the conversation, alongside guidance on reputational benefit and risk for brands entering the space.
The London office will work in tandem with Zeno Group’s already established Global Sports & Entertainment practice, led by Rick Rhodes and specialising in sponsorship activation, licensing, brand collaboration and talent buying. Previous deals include Joe Jonas for Expedia, Mindy Kaling for Sharpie and five-time Olympian Shaun White for Aruba Tourism.
Amongst Zeno London clients operating in sport and entertainment are Lenovo and Dolby. Notable work of late includes the award-winning Evolve Small for Lenovo, an AI driven campaign featuring Queen Latifah, conceived in the UK and activated in North America. For Dolby, the agency captured the world’s Seven Sonic Wonders, creating an album of endangered natural sounds with award-winning audio recordist Chris Watson.
Catherine is joined by ex-Red Consultancy associate director Joe Dawes, whose past experience includes multiple brand Olympic sponsorship activations and ambassador campaigns with the likes of Huawei and Mo Farah. Previous roles include a ten-year stint at Nelson Bostock, where he was seconded to Google as global comms lead for Arts and Culture.
Both will report to Zeno London’s head of brand, Amy Parry, who said, “Catching my breath after a summer of non-stop sport and music, it seems our appetite for entertainment in all its forms remains voracious. Brands who understand the shifting dynamics between talent, teams and fans – and how to connect them – will be the ones to benefit. Catherine is a major player in entertainment communications, culturally connected and progressive in her approach. I can’t think of a more talented ‘boomerang’ to welcome back to Zeno.”
Commenting on her appointment, Catherine said, “I’ve had the good fortune of working with Zeno many times before, so I couldn’t be happier about this new role. Launching Sports and Ents in the UK is a natural development for the agency and I’m excited to throw my unique blend of knowledge, expertise and passion for music, culture, and entertainment into the ring.”