Global appoints Smooths Brown as top Heart and Capital marketer

Global Radio has appointed Susan Brown as head of marketing for the Heart Network and 95.8 Capital FM. She joins as it prepares a major roll-out of the Heart brand, due to begin on January 5.

Brown, who joined the company this week, was previously head of marketing for Smooth Radio, the Guardian Media Group Radio-owned brand. She had been in the role for just over a year.

She will work closely with Nicola Thomson, Global Radio marketing director. Thomson, who joined Global from Magic 105.4 last year, is now responsible for the GCap Media brands, including 95.8Capital FM, Classic FM and Xfm, as well as Heart, Galaxy and LBC (MW October 2).

Thomson says that the rollout of the Heart brand is the priority for her and Brown. Global is rebranding 30 local stations, currently part of The One Network, as Heart.

The overhaul will be rolled out in three stages starting with nine stations in the East Anglia region – SGR FM,SGR Colchester, Broadland,Q103, Hereward, Northants96, Chiltern Bedforshire, Chiltern Dunstable and Horizon.

Brown’s appointment is part of a move by Thomson to centralise the radio operator’s marketing function. The move will also see Charlotte Rosier, Classic FM’s head of marketing, take on responsibility for LBC, and Becky Early become senior brand manager across Galaxy, Choice and Xfm.

Prior to joining GMG, Brown worked with Thomson at Magic 105.4, then owned by EMAP. Before that, she was senior marketing manager at 95.8 Capital FM.