Orange's UK head of entertainment Gavin Forth and CheethamBell JWT's head of digital Kevin McKay have joined McCann Erickson Manchester's McCann-i team.

McCann’s Manchester digital operation employs more than 45 people working on clients ranging from American Airlines to Aldi.

Forth’s marketing career spans more than 20 years and includes stints in key roles in Guinness and Boots as well as Spillers/Purina. In his role as head of entertainment at Orange he was responsible for the development and delivery of the mobile operator’s entertainment offer covering music, games, film and personalisation. 

Prior to that he was head of business development for Orange Group where he lead an international team to develop and roll out third party media services across the group.

His new role will be to drive the growth of the agency's digital operation, which currently accounts for around 18 percent of the business.

McKay's appointment marks a return to McCann after a stint as head of digital at CBJWT. Previously, he worked for McCann Erickson in its healthcare operation.

McCann chief executive Sue Little said: “At a time of economic uncertainty clients are looking to maximise return on investment of their marketing spend and the digital channel delivers total traceability and accountability.  

“As an agency we are looking to deliver a totally results focused digital approach that integrates seamlessly with our overall offering. All organisations, be they commercial or public sector, are having to communicate with consumers across multiple channels and in many cases digital is at the centre of this. By further strengthening our team we are aiming to create the strongest integrated digital offering in the UK.”