Burson Names Matt Buchanan Global Chief Social and Influence Officer as Agency Accelerates Critical Client Capability Rooted in Culture and Community

Olly Gosling Joins as Head of Social and Influence, EMEA 

NEW YORK, March 3, 2026 – Burson, the global communications leader purpose-built to drive value for clients through reputation, today announced that Matt Buchanan has been named Global Chief Social and Influence Officer and a member of Burson’s global leadership team. He had been Chief Operating Officer, EMEA.  

This appointment puts social-first creative capabilities at the center of how Burson helps clients build and protect their reputations in today’s fragmented media landscape. In this newly created role, Buchanan will be responsible for building on the agency’s strong foundation in Social and Influence in the U.S. and scaling the capability globally.  

“Reputation is no longer built through a single channel, format or voice, but through ideas that originate in culture and society, travel through communities and stakeholders, and earn attention across every platform,” said Corey duBrowa, CEO, Burson. “And with nearly 40 percent of adults under 30 getting their news from influencers, it’s clear that reputations must be built in platform-fluent ways from the start. That shift represents a genuine inflection point, and this appointment is about making sure Burson is scaled to meet it.

“Matt’s considerable experience in building modern, earned-first communication campaigns and driving results for clients across PR, social and influence make him the right choice to ensure that our clients’ narratives resonate and achieve the reach necessary to build their reputations on the global stage,” duBrowa added.  

Buchanan joined Burson in 2025 from Ogilvy, where he spent more than six years, most recently as Global & EMEA President, Ogilvy PR, leading global clients and the agency’s PR, social and influence business in the EMEA region. Before Ogilvy, Buchanan was with Havas-owned One Green Bean for seven years, initially as Australian Managing Director ahead of returning to London to launch its UK business as Managing Director. He has worked across diverse sectors for global clients such as The Coca-Cola Company, L’Oréal, Google, TJX Europe and Pfizer, among many others. He is a regular industry awards judge, including having been a juror for the Cannes PR Lions.

“Communications today is about the seamless integration of social and influence across all marketing and communications strategies and creative outputs,” said Buchanan. “What we’re building at Burson is a social-first creative muscle that works in service of reputation – ideas conceived for platforms, creators, communities and opinion leaders that actually shape how audiences feel about brands and the people that lead them. That integration of social, influence and earned, executed with fluency in culture and policy, is where the most meaningful reputation work happens now, and where we will build Burson as the benchmark.”

Gosling has considerable experience in harnessing the power of the creator economy to build modern brand advocacy. He joins Burson after five years at global creator marketing agency Influencer. Most recently serving as Vice President of Strategy, Media & Production, he was the driving force behind Impact Studio, a cross-functional division designed to solve complex brand challenges through the integration of creative strategy, deep insights and media distribution. He also has held key roles at The Walt Disney Company, Maker Studios and MediaCom.  

“The intersection of creator culture and corporate strategy is where the next decade of brand growth lives,” said Gosling. “Burson already has a reputation for strategic impact and a clear commitment to creator-led strategy; my focus will be to build upon that foundation to further convert digital influence into brand reputation.

“In an age of infinite content, attention is no longer a commodity brands can simply buy; it must be earned through the cultural relevance that creators uniquely provide,” Gosling continued. “I’m thrilled to join Matt and this world-class team across EMEA to ensure our social and influence work doesn’t just capture attention, but drives the kind of sustainable, long-term impact that will define the next era of influence.”