Former executive consultant to Jersey Mike's and Quartet Health joins to strengthen Monks' talent management and human resources capabilities through strategic rigor and AI-driven operational excellence

NEW YORK, Feb. 3, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Monks—the global, digital-first, data-driven, unitary operating brand of S4 Capital plc—today announced the appointment of Deb Stroff as Chief People Officer, effective February 1, 2026. Stroff will lead the company's global people strategy, focusing on talent management and recruitment, organizational structure and the integration of advanced people software systems to support Monks' evolution as a Real-Time Brand.

Stroff joins Monks during a pivotal "year of operational execution," where the company is prioritizing internal AI transformation and a human-first approach to collaboration. She will be responsible for bringing strategic and tactical rigor to Monks' human resources capabilities, specifically overseeing people strategy and relations, the effective implementation of operations and further optimization of enterprise systems to aid in organizational change. In addition, Deb will be taking a 360 view of the Monks people journey, evolving Monks experience to support and incentivise talent and business growth.

"Our success in this new era of advertising depends entirely on our ability to move from making assets to making decisions at speed," said Sir Martin Sorrell, Executive Chairman of S4 Capital. "As we architect a future where AI develops intelligence and end-to-end orchestration, we need leadership that can bridge high-tech efficiency with high-touch human connection. Deb's extensive experience in building scalable, rigorous organisational structures is exactly what we need to ensure our talent remains our most powerful differentiator."

Stroff joins Monks from Jersey Mike's, bringing a wealth of leadership experience from previous roles at Quartet Health, OnDeck Capital, Hogarth, Coty, Time Inc., and Ernst & Young. Her appointment aligns with Monks' 2026 priorities, which include improving the daily experience of work through AI adoption and fostering a culture of shared learning and transparency.

"To be a Monk is to champion empathy and transparency, and that starts with how we support our own people," said Bruno Lambertini, CEO of Monks, Marketing Services. "Deb's arrival marks a significant step in our mission to create a truly integrated, agile foundation for our teams. By implementing the right software and incentive structures, she will empower our Monks to have more time creating the authentic, human-centric solutions that help our clients carve their place in culture."

"This appointment is about operational clarity at scale," said Nikki Gifford, Chief Operating Officer at Monks, Technology Services. "Deb understands how to build people systems that support speed, accountability, and growth in an AI-enabled organization. As we move into our next phase of execution, her leadership will be critical to ensuring our talent strategy keeps pace with how fast Monks is evolving."

"I am thrilled to join Monks at a time when the company is fundamentally redefining how work gets done," said Deb Stroff, Chief People Officer at Monks. "Monks is unique in its ability to collapse timelines and connect brands to culture in real-time. My goal is to apply that same 'Real-Time' philosophy to our Monks' journeys and operations—building an organizational structure that is as dynamic as the technology we use. I look forward to working with this talented team to enhance our culture and implement systems that reward talent."

About Monks
Monks is the global, digital-first, data-driven, unitary operating brand of S4 Capital plc. With a legacy of innovation and specialized expertise, Monks combines an extraordinary range of global Marketing and Technology Services to redefine how brands interact with the world. Through Monks.Flow, its flagship AI ecosystem for marketing orchestration, Monks transforms marketing into a growth engine, collapsing timelines and connecting brands to culture in real time. By deploying bespoke intelligent agents across disciplines and delivering culturally relevant, high-impact creative and digital solutions, Monks solves key critical business challenges across the entire brand enterprise to help brands sustain long-term impact.

Monks was named a Contender in The Forrester Wave™: Global Marketing Services, ranks among Cannes Lions' Top 10 Creative Companies (2022-24) and remains the only partner featured in AdExchanger's Programmatic Power Players list every year (2020-24). Named Adweek's first AI Agency of the Year (2023) and The One Show's inaugural AI Pioneer Organization, Monks was also awarded Business Intelligence Group's 2025 Excellence in Artificial Intelligence Award in both the Organizational and AI Product categories. As a trusted partner to cutting-edge innovators in tech, Monks earned titles such as Optimizely Experimentation Partner of the Year (2025), runner-up for the Adobe Firefly Partner Award (2024), and Workato's AI Visionary Customer Impact Award (2024). Additionally, Monks achieved a record-breaking number of FWAs and continues to hold the most of any partner.

About S4 Capital
S4Capital plc (SFOR.L) is the tech-led, new age/new era digital advertising, marketing and technology services company, established by Sir Martin Sorrell in May 2018.

Our strategy is to build a purely digital advertising and marketing services business for global, multinational, regional, and local clients, and millennial-driven influencer brands. This will be achieved by integrating leading businesses in two synchronised Practices: Marketing Services and Technology services, along with an emphasis on 'faster, better, cheaper, more' execution in an always-on consumer-led environment, with a unitary structure.

The Company now has approximately 6,500 people in 33 countries with approximately 80% of net revenue across the Americas, 15% across Europe, the Middle East and Africa and 5% across Asia-Pacific. The longer-term objective is a geographic split of 60%:20%:20%. Marketing Services accounted for approximately 90% of net revenue, and Technology Services 10%. The longer term objective is a practice split of 75%:25%.

Sir Martin was CEO of WPP for 33 years, building it from a £1 million 'shell' company in 1985 into the world's largest advertising and marketing services company, with a market capitalisation of over £16 billion on the day he left. Prior to that Sir Martin was Group Financial Director of Saatchi & Saatchi Company Plc for nine years.

Media Contacts:
Kate Richling kate.richling@monks.com
Sarah Murray sarah.murray@monks.com
Evelyn Hsu evelyn.hsu@monks.com

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SOURCE Monks