People

Real World Media Planning & Buying isn’t easy. It takes good people who like to roll up their sleeves and get stuck in. These are our kind of people. Passionate and collaborative with a ‘can do’ attitude’ …who aren’t very corporate at all.

When you work with us you’ll be getting to know our leadership team personally. So you’ll be glad to know they’re not very corporate either. They’ve all experienced grown up jobs in major full-service and media agencies, and they all felt the same way. They wanted more personal relationships with their clients, so they could do better work.

Ciaran Deering

Head of Online

Ciaran is a veteran in the online ad business. In fact, he planned some of the earliest online campaigns in the UK (even before a little company named ‘Google’ had entered the European market). After a long stint as a digital strategist for some of the UK’s leading brand’s at Omnicom’s Tribal DDB, he went looking for a more independent environment and found The Grove Media to be the perfect fit. Ciaran oversees online strategies for our clients, and enjoys exploring the kind of media opportunities where classical and digital media meet.

Suzana Lay

Head of Brand Team & Planning Director

Suzana’s day job is heading up the Brand Team and overseeing all the agency’s planning & insight output. She spends a fair bit of time keeping abreast of new research and media developments to ensure that fresh thinking can be applied on a strategic and implementational level across all our clients.

Alina Pruteanu

Digital Development Director

Alina is an experienced online planning and buying practitioner, with a developed best-in-class strategic understanding of the digital media landscape. She has a keen interest in advertising technologies, digital developments, and emerging media. From direct response to brand, Alina has worked across a broad range of clients, from SMEs to corporate, in the UK and across the globe. Alina always seeks the best solutions and results for her clients, taking pride in delivering an outstanding service. When she’s not busy driving ROI for her clients, Alina loves spending time with her young family, travelling, and dancing.

David Price

Managing Director

David is one of the three co-owners of the business and has been around the block a few times, working at various networks and regional agencies alike. Not your usual Managing Director, he’s just as likely to be seen mucking in with teas & coffees as he is being proactively front facing for clients. David makes sure things get done and with a background in classic media planning & buying, provides a touch of “Real Worldliness” in a digital age.

Peter Smith

Executive Director Entertainments

Peter is a stalwart member of the team and the founder of the agency’s Entertainment team. He’s overseen its growth into a thriving part of our business, ensuring the agency is a leader in this field. Peter is very hands on and enjoys all aspects of media. He loves and follows all sport. He plays golf but would be the first to say he could do with a few lessons.

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