Ponderosa names former Indica and Publicis executive Stuart Pond managing director

Ponderosa, the Leeds brand and communications agency owned by Audience Collective, has hired Stuart Pond as managing director to drive its growth plans for 2026 and beyond.

Pond has more than 20 years' experience in advertising and has worked at several award-winning agencies in London and Sydney.

He was previously managing partner at Indica Worldwide. Before that he spent six years in a senior position at Publicis, leading accounts such as Renault, Heineken, Nestle and UBS.

The agency says his background has given him a detailed understanding of building brands and driving sales across many industries, channels and audiences.

Rob Wescott, chief executive of Audience Collective, said: “To outperform their markets, our clients need a strategic partner that can apply creativity across the entire 4Ps of marketing, not just great advertising.”

“Stuart brings a rare breadth of experience that ensures we continue to deliver on that promise. And besides, with ‘Pond’ as a surname, becoming MD of Ponderosa was surely meant to be!”

The agency links the hire to a wider change in the industry. As AI alters how campaigns are planned and delivered, it argues that the main challenge is now differentiation rather than efficiency alone, with brands in crowded categories at risk of disappearing into the so-called “wallpaper effect”.

Pond said: “I am excited to be joining the agency at a time of strong momentum and growth. I am looking forward to working closely with the team to build on this success, supporting continued growth by delivering highly effective, creative work that drives meaningful commercial results for clients.”

“Being part of Audience Collective means I will get the opportunity to work closely with the specialist agencies within the group, so that together we can deliver robust and insight driven, creative campaigns for clients.”

Audience Collective has recently won Burgess Yachts, Snap Finance and Leasing.com.

The group now turns over £28m and is forecasting strong growth over the next three years, with a target of £40m in revenue by 2029.