Evolved Search appoints Tom Etherington as managing director

Newcastle-based search marketing agency Evolved Search has announced a number of board-level role changes within the business, with Tom Etherington stepping up to become the agency’s managing director.

Etherington, 29, joined the award-winning agency back in 2017 as head of search and has since progressed to board-level, most recently as operations director leading on the agency’s service delivery and people-related initiatives.

His promotion to managing director will see him responsible for the overall running of the agency and the target to achieve £10m in annual revenue by 2024.

Agency founders Ian McIntosh and David Watts are also set for new roles, becoming chief executive officer and chief technology officer, respectively.

McIntosh will focus on the overall success of the business and have a keen eye on the next two to three years, with Watts overseeing innovation and new service development to continue strengthening the agency’s offering.

Speaking of the changes, chief executive officer, Ian McIntosh said, “It is fantastic to be able to offer Tom this role, which he thoroughly deserves. This is a natural step up for Tom, after being an instrumental part of our growth during the last 5 years and already overseeing a large part of the business.

“He is one of the most capable people I’ve ever worked with and is very rounded in terms of skill set, as well as understanding our industry incredibly well. He’s a great people person and very much a natural leader.

“To be an appointed managing director is an achievement in itself, but to have done this before the age of 30 is quite remarkable. I hope our people see what has been achieved here and can take inspiration from it.”

Tom, who took to his new role at the start of January, said: “This is a huge opportunity for me and I’m delighted that Ian and David have put this trust in me.

“We’ve enjoyed phenomenal success and growth to date, so I’m looking forward to getting stuck into this new role and fulfilling the ambitious plans we have for the agency.”