American Express Global Business Travel Meetings & Events has appointed Rich Atkinson-Toal as global vice president of Brand & Experience Studio as demand for creative and experiential events continues to rise globally.
The Experience Studio launched in 2024 and was created to provide a new range of creative events with a 360-degree approach that maximises emotional and physical engagement, brand impact, and business objectives for external and internal audiences.
Backed with global reach and integrated technology, the Experience Studio has serviced over 15,000 events of all sizes, providing strategic and creative support as well as logistics and travel.
Atkinson-Toal brings over 15 years of marketing leadership experience, including the past two years as Global VP of marketing at Amex GBT, and prior to that he held senior marketing roles at Barclaycard and Barclays.
In addition to his current leadership of the global brand team, he will focus on continued growth of the Experience Studio with increasing penetration of Amex GBT’s 20,000 clients. He will also focus on attracting even more large global brands who place experiential brand connection at the forefront of their marketing strategy.
“As more companies increase the magnitude of their online and digital presence, people crave human connection more than ever,” said Atkinson-Toal, Global VP of Brand & Experience Studio. “Businesses who prioritise memorable and elevated in-person experiences for their brand and teams, will continue to rise above those who focus on virtual presence alone.”