Plus1 Assembly, the innovation agency co‑founded by LADbible’s Arian Kalantari, today announced the hire of Ben Burns as Head of Operations. Reporting to CEO Jax Davey, Burns will architect the agency’s operational framework to support rapid growth and deliver its AI‑driven model to leading brands.
Burns joins from OLIVER, where he served as UK Group Delivery Director, overseeing clients such as Barclaycard and Boots and contributing to the agency’s senior leadership team. Previously, he spent six years at Marketing in Partnership as Director of Design and Production, working with Schroders, AVIVA Investors and BNY Mellon Investment Management.
Ben Burns, Head of Operations at Plus1 Assembly, said:
“I’ve spent the last few years refining my craft inside a business that disrupted the industry with the in‑housing model. That’s given me a unique view on how to approach marketing operations for scale and change. I’ve joined Plus1 to help build the next wave of change. We’re building an operating model that moves with culture and delivers real outcomes for clients. In this moment of industry shifts, this feels exciting, genuinely different, and something I’m really proud to be a part of.”
Jax Davey, CEO of Plus1 Assembly, added:
“We have an incredible opportunity to create the much‑needed change in our industry. After spending some time with Ben, it was clear he was the right person to build a new model from the ground up. I am very excited by what we can now do with his experience and hunger to make this a success.”
Launched in July with £5m backing from Simba Investments, Plus1 Assembly has already secured clients including Rezzil, The Stomping Ground and CodeBlaze, and acquired AI consultancy Layfe to bolster its cultural‑intelligence and AI capabilities.
