Uncommon Announces Planning Department Promotions and Hire

Left to right: Natalie Lau, head of planning | Tobey Duncan, chief strategy officer | Alistair Owen, head of effectiveness

Uncommon promotes Tobey Duncan to chief strategy officer and announces the appointment of Natalie Lau as head of planning with Alistair Owen also promoted to the studio’s first head of effectiveness. Natalie and Alistair will report directly to Tobey, overseen by Uncommon founder Lucy Jameson.

Tobey Duncan first joined Uncommon in October 2018 and has played an instrumental role in building the studio’s success and running the studio’s planning department alongside Uncommon founder Lucy Jameson. Tobey has spearheaded multiple successful pitches for the business, such as the successful win of US client SiriusXM and JD Sports pitch which led to the recent Christmas campaign.

During his six year stint at Uncommon, Tobey has overseen and led one of the world’s most recognised and notorious entertainment rebrands for EA Sports FC. He has worked closely with H&M - creating a globally infamous free suit hire initiative ‘The One Second Suit’ to help young men find work awarded at Cannes Lions. He has helped place national treasure B&Q back at the heart of British culture through multiple ‘Build a Life’ campaigns which have resulted in the brand’s overall marketing ROI growing by 39% - this work went on to win an Effie for its effectiveness.

Prior to Uncommon, Tobey has over a decade of experience developing purposeful brands and impactful campaigns for companies such as The Coca-Cola Company, Volkswagen, Unilever and Australia’s largest beer brand. He’s worked in two markets and developed campaigns awarded for their creativity at Cannes and for their effectiveness at the Effie Awards.

More about Natalie Lau

With a distinguished career working across three continents, Natalie Lau brings a wealth of strategic experience to Uncommon. Most recently, Natalie was strategy director responsible for high-impact content across high-profile clients including: Just Eat, eBay and L’Oreal Paris.

Prior to joining McCann, Natalie was part of the planning team at Lucky Generals. She has also built up a wealth of international experience from working across various agencies based in Hong Kong, Melbourne and New York, where she worked across a wide range of sectors including; Volvo, Co-op, Vonage, TSB and Bird’s Eye.

Natalie’s outstanding work has resulted in her being nominated as ‘A Face To Watch’ in 2019, as well as being named in the Pitch100 List in 2021. Natalie has additionally taken part in mentor programs including The Creative Mentor Network.

Natalie Lau, head of planning at Uncommon added, “What drew me to Uncommon is its insatiable ambition to create so much more than just ads. They find creative solutions that get people excited to engage - whether for brands or redefining how we work. I’m thrilled to be part of a studio that’s constantly pushing the envelope and honoured to help shape the next chapter.”

Tobey Duncan, chief strategy officer at Uncommon concluded, “I’m excited for this new chapter at Uncommon. With Natalie joining and Alistair taking on this new role, this talented department only grows stronger. It’s been an incredible journey so far, and I can’t wait to see what we can achieve next.”

More about Alistair Owen

Since joining the industry in Edinburgh, Alistair’s 15 year career has taken him to creative boutiques, global networks and transatlantic start-ups.

In that time he’s won new business and led strategy for clients in Tech, Automotive, FMCG, Financial Services, Aviation, Charity and Government and has worked closely with both start-ups and large multinationals.

Alistair returned to the UK to join Uncommon in April 2022 - after having spent five years in New York City where he helped launch adam&eveDDB’s first US office and created award winning campaigns for Samsung North America, Jim Beam and Pepsico. Prior to his American expedition, Alistair spent two years at adam&eveDDB in London working across VW and Aviva. At Uncommon Alistair leads strategy on British Airways.