As marketers seek agile media partners, Richling, former Monks Global CMO, joins Stagwell Media to drive global brand strategy and elevate a technology-led growth narrative.
NEW YORK CITY, NY / ACCESS Newswire / November 6, 2026 / Stagwell (NASDAQ:STGW), the global challenger network transforming marketing through AI, today announced the appointment of Kate Richling as Chief Brand and Communications Officer of Stagwell Media, its global media agency that delivers performance built to unlock ambition. Richling previously served as Global Chief Marketing Officer at Monks.
Reporting directly to Liz Rutgersson, CEO of Stagwell Media, Richling joins as the recently launched agency introduces a differentiated media model to the market. As marketers reevaluate traditional media models, brands are looking for new ways to do media that help them adapt faster, reach audiences more effectively and unlock growth.
Richling brings nearly two decades of marketing experience to Stagwell Media. Most recently, she spent nine years as a senior executive at Monks, formerly called Media.Monks owned by S4 Capital, where she served on the global leadership team guiding global brand architecture, positioning and cross-border integrations through rapid M&A scale. In her role, Richling will oversee global brand strategy, executive profiling, PR and internal communications. Her mandate bridges internal culture and external positioning, elevating agency marketing and internal communications from traditional administrative functions into primary drivers of global growth, talent alignment and market authority.
"Marketers are tired of big creative promises that can't be measured or platform data locked inside a black box," said Liz Rutgersson, CEO of Stagwell Media. "Stagwell Media brings together the best of modern media: deep channel expertise, next-gen technology and connected capabilities to help brands deliver measurable business outcomes. Kate's battle-tested track record of building global brand authority and driving commercial narrative will be critical as we sharpen our voice as the market's primary media disruptor."
"At a time when agency rhetoric and marketing are increasingly indistinguishable, Stagwell Media stands out by pairing deep media expertise with connected capabilities and technology built by media experts, for media experts," said Kate Richling, Chief Brand and Communications Officer, Stagwell Media. "Having built a career championing agency brand strategy and scaling global reputation for disruptive players, joining an agency with a bold vision for the future of media is incredibly invigorating. I'm excited to align Stagwell Media's internal culture with our external narrative and help showcase what makes our approach distinct."
Richling will partner with Stagwell Media's Growth, Client Leadership and Strategy teams to build a continuous pipeline of co-presented client case studies, effectiveness wins and executive thought leadership across the media agency's global footprint, ensuring internal culture directly fuels external market reputation.
About Stagwell Media
Stagwell Media is a global media agency that delivers performance to unlock ambition for brands on every platform. As part of Stagwell, the challenger network transforming marketing through AI, Stagwell Media is transforming media through an agile, integrated model that powers growth and helps brands navigate an evolving marketplace. Powered by next-generation agentic technology, including The Media Machine, its AI-native operating system, the agency accelerates optimization, maximizes media investment efficiency and drives higher-quality audience engagement. With more than 2,300 experts across 50+ markets, Stagwell Media delivers transformative results for leading global brands including Lenovo, DP World and P&G.
PR Contact: pr@stagwellmedia.com
SOURCE: Stagwell
View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:
https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/business-and-professional-services/stagwell-media-names-kate-richling-as-chief-brand-and-communicat-1247557
