Matt O'Brien is set to replace Katherine Jerman as managing director of Ipswich-based agency Cheeze.

O'Brien takes over the reigns from Katherine Jerman who, retaining her title as founding partner, will take a six month sabbatical from the agency, returning later in the year to act as a consultant to Cheeze and parent company, Digital Marketing Group.

O'Brien, who joined the business in 2000 and has rose quickly through the ranks, will take full responsibility for the growth and direction of the agency, reporting in to Digital Marketing Group's CEO, Ben Langdon, and will have a seat on the group's Operations Board.

Cheeze has enjoyed a successful first half of the year, adding to its team after account wins such as Canterbury of New Zealand and PDSA.

Langdon said: "As a founder member of the Cheeze team who has played a big part in its success, Matt is the natural choice to take the agency to the next level of its development. I'm delighted to have him in charge of the business.

"For Katherine, who has spent the last decade building the business, this is a well deserved sabbatical. She goes off with a successful year behind her and strong team in place making the agency robust at all levels, and I'm delighted that she will be returning to the Digital Marketing Group family to bring her invaluable experience to this new role."