Identity team in their office
Front row (L-R): Simon Dunnell, Board Director; Michael Gietzen, CEO; Janet Dodd, Chief Strategy Officer
Back row (L-R): Paul Fitzpatrick, MD; Mary Carter-Lee, People & Culture Director; Kal Bhadresa, Finance Director

Identity, the UK’s largest events agency, has announced key changes to its leadership team. As a precursor to further expansion and growth, the agency that delivered COP26 completed the reshuffle alongside a number of new board level appointments.
Identity’s founder, Michael Gietzen, steps away from the role of MD to become Identity’s first CEO. In tandem with this move Paul Fitzpatrick, who has been with Identity since its inception, takes the helm of the agency as its new MD.

For Gietzen, who has served as the face of Identity since 2010, the move to the newly created CEO position allows him to focus on developing Identity’s worldwide reputation and steering its global growth strategy. This will encompass organic international expansion as well as identifying acquisition opportunities.

Fitzpatrick is the natural successor for the MD role, having been Identity’s operations director for eight years, and best placed to direct the agency’s ambitious short and medium-term strategy. Supporting him is a highly accomplished executive team spanning commercial, project delivery, operations, finance, and people & culture functions. Janet Dodd, a stalwart on the board, takes on the role of chief strategy officer where her considerable experience of client relationships and high-profile projects will help direct sustainable growth.

Joining the board of directors is Simon Dunnell. Dunnell joined Identity in 2020 and brings phenomenal global experience to the agency’s worldwide project delivery capability.
Former finance director, Mike Prior, moves to the newly created role of mergers and acquisitions director, while Kal Bhadresa joins Identity as its new finance director. Championing Identity’s people-first approach, Mary Carter-Lee remains in the role of people & culture director.

CEO, Michael Gietzen said: “To steer the agency through this new era of global events we have evolved our leadership team. The new opportunities created for this team allow me to take a step back from day-to-day operations to focus on extending the scope and global growth of the agency. Central to this is the role of MD, with Paul taking the reins supported by a powerhouse leadership team that I am confident will continue Identity’s success.”
MD, Paul Fitzpatrick said: “Identity is evolving and adapting to new market conditions. Having successfully navigated the pandemic, we have now created an enhanced leadership team of incredibly talented individuals that are poised to embrace the exciting challenges and opportunities of the global events industry.”

The changes follow a year of skyrocketing success for Identity that included a FT ranking as one of the fastest growing companies in Europe, the delivery of COP26 in Glasgow plus attracting a myriad of new clients to include Unilever, Netflix, the UK Space Agency and Shell.