JO COOKE JOINS BASTION AS IT STARTS 2023 WITH A NEW MD, NEW HIRES, AND ANNOUNCES INTERNAL PROMOTIONS

Jo Cooke joins Bastion as Group Director alongside new execs Jasper Pickering and Ross Bowes, while Ravi Vijh becomes Bastion MD and Dean Barrett becomes Exec Chair

12th January 2022: Bastion has hit the ground running in 2023 with three new appointments. Jo Cooke joins the company as Group Director, having previously been the marketing lead at Curve Games and Frontier Developments. Cooke also has extensive agency experience, holding leadership positions at Omnicom Media Group, and its media agency, Hearts & Science.

Jasper Pickering leaves the i newspaper, where he was gaming correspondent, to join Bastion as Account Executive. He’s joined by Ross Bowes, who also starts as Account Executive, having previously worked at PR agency Champion Communications.

“A great way to start the year with three brilliant new team members. Jo brings a wealth of games marketing experience to the agency, enabling us to create comprehensive marketing solutions for developers and publishers. Jasper adds to our games expertise, and Ross brings a wealth of b2b experience that is in high demand at the moment,” commented Dean Barrett, now the Exec Chair of Bastion.

These appointments follow several key internal promotions. Ravi Vijh has become Bastion’s Managing Director, after four years as the agency’s Client Services Director. Becky Mullen has been promoted to Senior Account Director, and Ben Skipper is now an Account Director. Will Lawes is now Senior Account Manager, and Daisy Hearn moves up to become Account Manager. Toby Pearce has been made Senior Account Executive.

“Bastion has always championed internal growth, and nobody exemplifies that better than Ravi, who joined as an intern over ten years ago and now leads the agency. His passion and determination to drive Bastion forward, coupled with his experience and knowledge, make him the perfect MD,” commented Barrett.

The new appointments and promotions follow a successful year for Bastion with a number of high-profile clients joining the agency, the successful launch of influencer division Pinpoint, and the celebration of the company’s 30^th anniversary.