Introducing James Doughty, Diffusion Digital’s New Account Director

Introducing our new Account Director, James Doughty!

James’ primary role will be overseeing Diffusion’s Account Management and Project Delivery, ensuring that all of our clients receive a top class service and high-performance digital solutions that deliver against their business goals.

We wanted to get to know James a little better, so we decided a short interview would be the best way to do this, as well as to officially announce his arrival.

So…here are James’ answers to some of our most burning questions:

 

Tell us a bit about yourself and what you were doing prior to joining Diffusion…

 

“I started my career in digital publishing. I fell into this industry straight out of university as I have always had an interest in writing and journalism. I also studied languages at uni and had completed a couple of internships in Paris and Munich, so this felt like the natural path for me to follow.

At this first job I rose up the ranks quite quickly, before discovering that I have a knack for Client Services and naturally progressing into an Account Management role. From there, I made the transition into the Web Design world, joining a London-based digital agency as a Senior Account Manager. In this role I looked after a number of the agency’s key accounts, ranging from big brands to startups and government departments. I also gained lots of experience in Business Development, Project Management and ‘agency life’ in general!”

 

Which parts of your role at Diffusion are you most excited about?

 

“I’m really excited to get to know our full client base and just generally get a good feel for who we are working with at the moment, as well as where we want to position ourselves in the future. I can’t wait to establish some strong working relationships with our clients and hopefully find some exciting new ways of working with them to help achieve their goals.

It’s a really exciting time to be joining Diffusion because we’re introducing new ways of supporting our clients, such as advanced SEO, analytics and marketing. This will allow us to bring a more strategic, performance-led approach to all of our projects”

 

What new initiatives do you plan to implement at Diffusion and how?

 

“I’m looking forward to building further on Diffusion’s existing processes in order to streamline our operations and improve the way in which we deliver projects for our clients.

Somehow, already in the first three weeks working here, I have managed to gain a reputation for being good with spreadsheets! In general, I suppose I’m looking forward to implementing as much new structure as possible, allowing us to work more efficiently and more commercially.

My aim is to get stuck in with all areas of the agency, from Account & Project Management to Design and Development. I’m also excited to get involved with the Marketing side of things, helping to make sure we shout about all of the excellent work we are doing!”

 

What attracted you to life and culture at the MOF group?

 

“That’s a good question. I love the fact that we have a central HR function with people dedicated to the wellbeing of the staff. This makes such a big difference and makes sure everyone in the group is happy with the social side of things, as well as their day to day work.

I also appreciate how involved the Directors are with the agency culture. For example, having a quarterly presentation makes everyone feel really involved in the group and that they are part of something exciting.

The social calendar here is also great. We have a lot of events booked for Halloween and Christmas. It’s really exciting.”

 

If you had a boat, what would you call it and why?

 

“I mean obviously it would have to be the RMS Diffusion. Just because our team is like a well-defined crew on a ship, each with their defined roles.”

 

If you could eat one meal for the rest of your life, what would it be?

 

“At the risk of sounding really cliché, I’m obsessed with pizza. My favourite toppings are chicken and sweetcorn, despite my new teammates at Diffusion trying to get me to have Bovril and Sriracha on everything!”

 

What show are you currently watching on Netflix?

 

“Oh, I’m watching the new Paul Rudd show. It’s really cool. It’s called ‘Living with Yourself’. The episodes are only about 24 minutes long, so it’s great if you just want something to watch for half an hour before you go to bed. Also, Paul Rudd is great.”