Chris Smith

Director, Head of Insights at Madano

London, England, United Kingdom

About

I'm a senior communications leader with deep experience across research, insights and strategy, working across consumer, corporate and healthcare. Featured on 'PRWeek's 30 Under 30' list in 2018.

Experience

  • Director, Head of Insights at Madano
    May 2026 - Present · 2 mos

    Our Insights practice is a fully integrated team driven by social science, data science and AI analytics. We're people plus machines, working to understand and drive behaviour change. We blend AI with traditional research methods to increase the efficiency of approaches and enhance the impact of our insights. We also support clients to engage with new technology in ways that are measured and impactful, providing guidance on the use of AI and analytics to help them extract maximum insight from their own data.

  • Head of Data and Insights at Red Consultancy
    Apr 2022 - Jan 2026 · 3 yrs 10 mos

    At Red I was responsible for all things data and insight related across the agency and drove data-informed strategic thinking across a broad array of clients and agency new business. This included building Red Pulse, a bespoke ‘house blend’ of tech, AI, and data that powers the agency's PR and communications campaigns. Red Pulse helps clients navigate the complex and highly fragmented modern media landscape and achieve communications with meaningful impact. I also led a top-to-bottom refresh of measurement, developing a suite of solutions in order to provide ‘measurement with meaning’. These included measurement dashboards, enhanced 'share of' methodologies and brand tracking and attribution models.

  • Practice Director at Ketchum
    Feb 2016 - Aug 2021 · 5 yrs 7 mos

    At Ketchum, I was the Practice Director in the Research and Analytics team. As part of this role, I was responsible for changing and evolving the way we use data to inform client work and new business activities. I also had a clear focus on developing both new technologies and methodologies to help develop faster and sharper insights and deliver more powerful and meaningful work for clients to help them achieve their communications and business objectives. I also operated as the strategic lead across various pieces of client work, where in addition to delivering research that unearthed actionable insights, I was also responsible for building over-arching communications strategies to inform creative executions and activations. I was also involved in social and digital work at Ketchum, leveraging my deep social media experience of developing and executing integrated campaigns, influencer relations, creative social media content, paid social media amplification and social media measurement.

  • Digital Account Director at Red Consultancy
    Nov 2011 - Feb 2016 · 4 yrs 4 mos

    Account Director at The Red Consultancy, working as a social media specialist. Clients included Carling, TomTom, Call of Duty, William Hill, Fanta and more.

  • Account Executive at Hill & Knowlton
    Jan 2010 - Nov 2011 · 1 yr 11 mos

    Working as a junior digital consultant across a number of brands including, Casio, Duracell and Pampers.