Mark Manning Elevated to Chief Operating Officer at Huge

Huge, the global experience agency, today announces the elevation of Mark Manning to global chief operating officer, effective today.  In this newly created position, Mark will focus on transforming the company’s operating model and will report directly to Mat Baxter, chief executive officer. Ryan Ku, former chief strategy officer at Eleven, joins Huge in Mark’s former position as President, West Region, based out of Oakland, CA. 

As Mark steps into the chief operating officer role, he will assume responsibility for all of global operations to ensure the company is well-positioned to make huge moves for sustained growth and financial performance across the Network. Mark’s remit also includes oversight of Huge’s internal products, capabilities, processes, platforms, and tools, which allow teams to deliver the best client outcomes and satisfaction.

Mat commented: “Mark represents a standard of excellence in leadership and brings an essential foundational knowledge of the company, given his commitment to Huge going back to 2016. I look forward to working directly with him to implement a transformational strategy for the future of Huge and our clients.”

Mark will collaborate with office managing directors and presidents to manage regional P&Ls across the network. As COO, he will also manage client services, program management, and central shared services. 

Prior to his role as president of Huge’s Oakland office, Mark was managing director of Huge London since 2016 where he led the office’s growth and development while driving excellence for clients in the EMEA region such as Nike, Google, Enel, Hublot, Hugo Boss and The Economist.

Stepping into Mark’s previous role, Ryan Ku joins the company as President West Region, effective November 1, 2021.  Ryan will be tasked with establishing and implementing the strategic plan for Huge in the West Region, and will be fully accountable for all business and operations, including new business development and maintaining key C-level client relationships. 

Ryan joins Huge from Eleven, where he most recently served as chief strategy officer, while also serving as the co-founder of a stealth startup incubating at the Holding Company level. Prior to that, Ryan was the managing director of Redscout in San Francisco. Ryan will report directly to Mark. 

Before that, Ryan honed his craft at some of the top shops on the West coast including the L.A. office of TBWA\Chiat\Day, where he was responsible for creating advertising, innovation and brand strategies for for world-class brands such as Kia, Toyota, Nissan, Bacardi, Virgin America, and Apple.

Mark said: “I am thrilled for the opportunity to help realize an exciting new future for Huge. This is such a special place, loaded with incredible talent, and the job is all about unlocking and liberating that specialness to help drive even greater outcomes for our clients. I thank Mat for his trust and confidence in me, and I can't wait for Ryan to bring his enviable background in Brand, Design, and Innovation to the teams at Huge and our clients, as well. His arrival marks the beginning of an important new chapter, and I’m psyched to see him set new bars for what’s possible out West.”