Hills Balfour expanding in Southwark

Following some significant recent new client wins, Hills Balfour have been adding some wonderful new talent to their already dynamic and fast growing team.

Mel Latham – Strategic Director

To head up the Brand USA team, Mel Latham joined the agency in June. After completing a degree in Modern Languages with International Relations Mel knew she wanted a career that would enable her to travel and to work with clients globally. Over the course of her career she has worked in sales and marketing roles in restaurants, a large FMCG multinational, boutique hotels and NYC & Company based in New York, as well as managing the product portfolio for tour operators on North American, European and North African programmes. This combined experience has given Mel a unique perspective into selling, marketing and promoting a destination from different industry and cultural perspectives. Early in her career whilst marketing a FMCG product she realised that her passion lay in marketing an experience rather than a disposable consumer product, and what richer experience is there than promoting the perfect holiday… and that thought inspired her incredible journey. As the Strategic Director, Mel heads up the team for Brand USA and oversees the sales and marketing functions. This role enables her to work strategically promoting a country where she has lived and worked and where she can really help showcase all the wonderful things it has to offer. After living in New York for seven years returning to London in June 2017, Mel is excited to rediscover all that London has to offer as well as catching up with family and friends. Aside from travel she loves music, design, food and wine and loves to take advantage of the opportunities to indulge these passions in her free time. Having worked for Tour Operators, a leading DMO in destination, as well as hotels Mel has a unique understanding of the tourism industry which brings a holistic and integrated approach to the role she plays for Hills Balfour. She has a global network of industry contacts that she has developed whilst working to promote travel to the USA, which often comes in useful when working on strategic partnerships. Additionally, her foreign languages come in handy from time to time.

Emma de Vadder – PR Account Director

With a career firmly rooted in travel and hospitality PR and Marketing, Emma has worked both in house and agency side representing destinations at a country and city level, as well as hotels, restaurants, and a diverse range of travel services from tour operators to travel insurance. She spent nine years living in New York City working at NYC & Company to promote UK travel to NYC, before moving on to work at the British Consulate to lead VisitEngland’s international operations in North America. In her new role as PR Account Director at Hills Balfour, Emma heads up the UK PR and Marketing Communications for NYC & Company, the official marketing, tourism and partnership organisation for the City of New York. After living and working in NYC for almost a decade, needless to say she is a huge fan of the city and welcomes the chance to wax lyrical about all of the amazing adventures to be had throughout New York City’s five boroughs. Unsurprisingly Emma has a passion for travel, both urban and remote. She also enjoys and is willing to travel for a mean matcha latte, “healthy” desserts and fresh off the boat sashimi. Her main love and other job is raising her toddler son and hoping to shape a curious and considerate human in the process. As well as bringing lots of local insights from NYC, Emma also brings an in depth understanding of the global media landscape and a proven ability to work as a true in-house partner and brand builder, creating strategic, innovative campaigns and partnerships.

To house this ever-expanding team, Hills Balfour have increased their presence in Southwark, with three offices all located within a one minute walk of each other:

• 58 Southwark Bridge Road – Hills Balfour’s HQ, acquired and completely refurbished in 2014, this is the nerve centre of the agency and provides office space and meeting rooms for staff and clients alike.
• 69 Southwark Bridge Road – the home of Hills Balfour’s dynamic and fast growing MICE team and its central services.
• 78 Southwark Bridge Road – Hills Balfour acquired and refurbished this building in 2016; it provides extra office and meeting space.

The development and regeneration of Southwark and the Southbank area perfectly complement what Hills Balfour offers to both its staff and clients – great connections, happy atmosphere, edgy & traditional F&B and an intent to grow and develop further.