Sir John Hegarty joins The Dots as Chairman
The appointment strengthens The Dots’ position as the professional network of choice for the creative industries.
Sir John Hegarty, advertising legend and co-founder of the award winning agency Bartle Bogle Hegarty has today been announced as Chairman of the fast-growing creative professional networking platform – The Dots (www.the-dots.co.uk).
After more than six decades of being at the forefront of the creative industry, fifteen Clios, eight D&AD awards and almost too many Cannes Lions awards to count, Sir John will be leading The Dots in the next stage of its development and growth in the UK after securing £1.5m investment.
Best described as the LinkedIn for the creative industries, The Dots is a professional networking platform designed to help the creative sector promote themselves, network, collaborate and connect with commercial opportunities. Sir John’s wealth of experience will help guide The Dots in its mission to generate one million commercial opportunities for creative professionals by 2018, and build a stronger, more profitable and diverse creative sector.
Since launching in September 2014, The Dots has rapidly become the go-to platform for the creative sector, attracting thousands of clients to promote their brand and recruit talent, including the BBC, Tate, Net-a-Porter, Vice, Airbnb, Sony Music UK, Condé Nast, Spotify, Facebook, Red Bull, WPP, Selfridges, Channel 4, Liberty, Saatchi & Saatchi, Viacom, Fremantle Media UK, Twitter & Somerset House.
Alongside this announcement, The Dots has just raised its first round of investment led by Hambro Perks, an investment group founded by Rupert Hambro and Dominic Perks, whose portfolio companies include Laundrapp, Seeinit and (Tech Awards laureate) What 3 Words.
Additional investors include seed stage VC Coral Reef, and Angel Academe; a female-led syndicate investing in start-ups with at least one female founder.
The Dots was founded last year by native Brit Pip Jamieson, an entrepreneur who has spent the last 15 years immersed in the creative industries, including executive roles at MTV Australia.
Named as one of Australia’s top female entrepreneurs, Pip is back in her hometown London, and set to make waves with her successful start-up.
The UK’s creative industries contribute 5% of the UK’s GDP and employ 1.8 million people, with the sector expected to grow 35% between 2015 and 2020, a faster rate than more traditional sectors. According to Nesta, creative roles are hard to automate and subsequently critical for the future prosperity of the UK’s economy.
The Dots is on a mission to generate one million commercial opportunities for creative professionals by 2018; helping build a stronger, more profitable and diverse creative sector.
Quotations:
Sir John Hegarty, Chairman commented,
“The Dots is critical for the future success of the creative industries – putting creativity at the heart of commerce and industry, whilst also helping creative people realise their full potential. I’m privileged to help shape its future with Pip and her team”
Pip Jamieson, Founder & CEO, The Dots, commented,
‘Sir John is a creative genius who shares our passion for cultivating and championing top creative talent. We’re beyond excited to be backed by and working with such a legend!”
Dominic Perks Co-founder of Hambro Perks, commented,
“A brilliant idea. A gifted team. A booming market – with creativity becoming a key competitive advantage in all industries. We love it!”