Social Soup, the largest influencer marketing business in Australia and New Zealand, has announced two significant appointments. Cara Norris has been promoted to the newly created role of Head of Growth and Partnerships, while Carolyne Gowen has been recruited as Client Partnerships Director. These appointments follow the success of Social Soup's second Influence Upfronts, the bi-annual influencer marketing industry update, held in mid-May.

Cara Norris joined Social Soup from Pacific Magazines in 2018 as Victorian Sales Director and has spent the past six years expanding the business out of Melbourne. In her new role, Norris will be responsible for driving business growth strategies and building strong client partnerships.

"Cara has been a key member of our team for several years now and I'm delighted she is taking on this new national role. As the Head of Growth and Partnerships, Cara will be leading the team to better service client needs and will build out our strategic approach to growth with commercial and marketing responsibility," said Sharyn Smith, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Social Soup.

Norris herself is eager to take on the challenge, stating, "I am thrilled to be heading up growth in this new leadership role, educating the market on what we do and how we can help clients achieve their goals. Over the past six years in the business I have seen how much our client offering has evolved. We have become much more sophisticated in influencer marketing and I think that's what makes us stand out."

Carolyne Gowen, joining Social Soup from WOM Network where she was Partnerships Manager for almost three years, will be responsible for identifying and building partnerships nationally as the business continues to expand. Gowen also founded and led the mindful leadership company Still Your Mind part time.

"And a big welcome to Carolyne, who is already proving herself as an incredibly valuable team member. We look forward to having her alongside us in this new stage of innovation and growth," Smith added.

Gowen is equally excited about her new role, stating, "Social Soup is at the forefront of influencer marketing and I'm excited to be working with them to really drive growth. It's an exciting time for the business and what we can offer clients. I look forward to making sure the market really knows how smart our capabilities are."

These appointments come after Social Soup was named the best large agency/business in the inaugural Australian Influencer Marketing Council (AiMCO) Awards in 2022.