Digital agency Shout has appointed former Jaywing Australia director of biddable media Gabriela Serrano Ruiz as its new head of paid media.

Serrano joins the digital agency with 13 years of experience, having most recently spent a stint as sales and marketing director for Octopusbot after a decade at Jaywing. She began her career in market research in Mexico, graduated from Macquarie University with a Masters in Commerce (Marketing), and moved into the bought media space as a Paid Search Strategist with @E-Web Marketing.

Serrano Ruiz will use her agency skills to help Shout meet its targets and to share her skills with a greater number of Aussie SME businesses needing to embrace clever digital ad spending strategies to thrive.

The agency, which continues on a growth trajectory amid economic headwinds, celebrated 100 retained clients at the end of the financial year and has set its sights on doubling that number by the end of 2026.

"I was inspired by the opportunity to help businesses of all sizes fine tune their paid efforts, increase their conversion points and enjoy exponential success. I have a results-driven mindset and also loved the idea of being part of an agency at a pivotal phase of its own growth journey. Being able to work remotely enables me to balance my career goals with caring for my young family," said Serrano Ruiz. "The fact that Shout’s team is largely made up of very senior hires is another factor that drew me in. We can work at pace alongside each other to deliver multichannel digital solutions that are strong across the board."

Shout is a 100% remote, national digital growth agency. The company has invested in a 20% increase in its workforce in the first half of 2024 and has brought on a dedicated team of senior leaders. Other major appointments this year at Shout include the hiring of Head of Growth, Matilda Toepfer, and the internal promotions of Shanaka Thanapathy into the role of Head of SEO and Ari Saikkonen into the role of Head of Client Success.

CEO Michael Jenkins said: "Gabriela’s past performance speaks for itself. She has managed sizable teams and budgets, grown and retained clients across myriad sectors and she’s at the right moment in her career to embrace a change that allows her to operate at a very senior level whilst also achieving more life balance. While many of the industry’s giants have been forced to reduce headcount, Shout has invested in a 20% increase in its workforce in the first half of 2024 and we’ve brought on a dedicated team of senior leaders to allow clients of all sizes to access staff with deep experience. Our goal is double our client roster by the end of "