FIRST, a leading global brand experience agency operating out of New York, Los Angeles, London, Dublin and Singapore, announced today that Katie Weston has been promoted to Head of Solutions, a new role created to oversee the reorganization of FIRST Solutions.

FIRST Solutions is the proprietary strategic meetings management model offered by FIRST, which embeds specialist talent into organizations to provide Content, Creative, Digital Technology, Management & Delivery, and Data & Insights. The delivery model helps clients maximize the efficiency and effectiveness of experience and roadshow teams through a combination of custom outsourcing, operational consultancy, and recommendations based on in-depth data analysis and insights. The team members act as an extension of in-house teams, augmenting and expanding clients' competencies.

In this new capacity, Katie will report into CEO, Group & CEO, Americas, Maureen Ryan Fable, and draw upon her 10+ years of experience within the FIRST @ Goldman Sachs account. She will be responsible for global operational alignment, account management, business development, and delivery excellence for the roster of FIRST Solutions clients, many of whom are on the list of bulge bracket investment banks and technology and media leaders.

"With more and more FIRST clients needing new ways of breaking through to their customers in the digital world, FIRST Solutions is on track for record growth in 2021," said Maureen Ryan Fable. "More than ever, clients are turning to FIRST implanted teams for strategy, content and creative expertise, technology, and new ideas. Katie's experience with global operations will ensure our clients have a scalable, expert, and efficient team to supplement their in-house talents."

Katie Weston added, "Moving to a more globally aligned operating model will allow us to cohesively manage our growing number of accounts and continue to provide curated and tailored solutions to each. It will also add the value of being able to tap into our established network to knowledge share and drive efficiencies between accounts."

Having delivered outsourced models for nearly 15 years, FIRST has a proven track record of embedding and managing dedicated teams that improve the effectiveness and efficiency of clients' event marketing and brand experience programs.

"Demand for outsourced business models, especially within the event and brand experience function, has been increasing over the past five years. It has been significantly accelerated due to the pandemic, as the ability for large corporations to scale up and down as needed is of significant value," stated Maureen.

The reorganization of FIRST Solutions under the leadership of Katie Weston follows several changes within the agency over the last few months. In 2020 and amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, FIRST embedded three new client teams totaling nearly 100 employees. The changes further established FIRST as one of the leading global brand experience agencies, enhanced its client portfolio in several key industries and service areas, and increased its total global workforce to more than 400 team members.

Over the past 20 years, Katie has built her reputation in the global events industry in both executional and management roles. Starting with FIRST in 2010, she was a key member of the team onboarded with the inception of one of the first FIRST Solutions accounts. She transitioned from Project Manager into a Global Account Director role throughout this time, where she oversaw teams across Americas, EMEA and APAC, helping to guide them to achieve global consistency and deliver excellence.

About FIRST

FIRST is a leading global brand experience agency providing Content, Creative, Digital Technology, Management & Delivery, and Data & Insights services. Operating as a full-service agency partner or through embedding specialist talent into client teams, FIRST brings brands and people together through creative, connected experiences. Spanning 11 countries and with more than 400 team members, FIRST works with clients across industries including financial services, technology, media, consumer electronics, medical and healthcare, automotive, aerospace and the non-profit sector. Event Marketer Magazine listed FIRST among their "Top 100 Event Agencies" for 2020, as well as one of 2020's "Best Places to Work in Events." Crain's New York Business also recognized FIRST as one of the Top 100 "Best Places to Work in NYC" for 2020, and The London Stock Exchange Group listed FIRST as one of '1000 Companies to Inspire Britain' in 2020. For more information, please visit www.firstagency.com.