Unfair competitive advantage
We avoid fluffy marketing bullshit. Instead we look to understand the detail and technicalities of what you do and why it’s special. Because then we can harness creativity to bring a real competitive advantage.
The B2B specialists
We're an agency that thrives when working with complex, technical B2B challenges.
22
years working with B2B brands
300+
years working with B2B brands (if you add us all up individually)
2
offices, in Stoke and Manchester
∞
oatcake vs. barm-cake rows
30
staff (and counting)
5
office dogs
#7
In Campaign’s 100 Best Places to Work
50
annual hours of paid-for training for all staff
Our Leadership Team
Mark Lesniak
Creative Director
Mark is joint founder of Lesniak Swann and brings 20 years of blue-chip experience across a wide range of disciplines. With experience at London agencies Grey, Leo Burnett and Ogilvy, Mark’s focus is on delivering big, digital-first creative ideas.
Alexander Swann
Managing Director
Alex is joint founder of Lesniak Swann, and is responsible for the strategic direction of the business and its clients. With experience client-side in the financial sector, Alex always keeps one eye on the clients’ return on marketing spend.
Rob Morrice
Chairman
Rob Morrice has worked in the media and marketing industry since he was 14. (Admittedly, his first role was selling newspapers.) He became a journalist before switching to the dark side as an advertising agency copywriter. He’s built three successful agencies – including iconic B2B agency Stein IAS, which he grew from obscurity to fame over 18 years. He’s now an agency growth advisor and chairman of Lesniak Swann, and chairman at The Drum.
Jo Holdcroft
Director of Client Services
Jo specialises in fostering rock-solid relationships with clients, bringing clarity to their marketing journey, and ensuring they feel in control throughout. Managing Lesniak Swann’s team of account managers at the agency’s headquarters in Stoke, Jo is responsible for overseeing all aspects of clients’ creative accounts. She is also a fully qualified PRINCE2 practitioner.
Matt Hicks
Strategy Director
Matt has worked in senior B2B marketing roles for almost 20 years. Much of his career has been spent in-house, leading global projects for industry specialists such as Mammoet, Orbia and Bitdefender. Matt leads the strategy and performance teams at Lesniak Swann, ensuring that clients benefit from high-quality thinking throughout projects, and high-performing campaign activation that’s keenly aligned to commercial goals.
Kess Crighton
Client Services Director
Kess has worked both in-house and agency-side on B2B projects for major brands such as Uber, TalkTalk and M&S. Overseeing client services in Lesniak Swann’s Manchester office, she leads the studio teams in delivering impactful marketing activity for our clients. Alongside her strategic and project-management skills, Kess is also highly proficient in a number of leading martech tools, including HubSpot, Google Analytics and LinkedIn Campaign Manager.
Maggie Morrissey
Head of PR
During a career in B2B PR spanning more than 20 years, Maggie has worked with an array of sector-leading companies – including Armitage Shanks, Finning UK & Ireland, and Schneider Electric. She has cultivated an extensive catalogue of contacts across the architectural, construction, energy, environment and manufacturing media.
News, views and how-tos
Proud as punch to be a B-Corp
We want Lesniak Swann to have a positive impact on the world. So we work hard to maintain the high standards of social and environmental performance, transparency and accountability that’ve won us B-Corp status.
Lesniak Swann’s deep understanding of the construction sector and their creative-meets-strategic approach helped us to elevate our brand presence. The team are extremely dedicated and delivered a remarkable media reach. Samantha Hill Head of Marketing, Reynaers UK
The team has been a joy to work with. Our debut campaign with them was an unqualified success, helped set new sales records for M&S Corporate Gifts, and led to our relationship becoming ongoing. Roshni Patel Marketing Manager, M&S Corporate Gifts
The team’s campaign was exactly what we were after in terms of establishing Avantis Education as a pedagogical thought-leader. It made a real impact on our audience and has set a very high bar for our future campaigns. Gillian Rhodes CMO, Avantis Education
The campaign was thoughtfully planned and beautifully executed. It bolstered our thought-leader credentials, generated lots of positive engagement, and shifted customer conversations – exactly what we wanted. Katy Colman Enterprise Marketing Manager, TalkTalk Business
The team nailed it. They created a strategy that considered and catered to our key personas and their challenges at a turbulent time, when roles, wants and needs are so in flux. B2B Marketing Lead Uber for Business