Varn Search Marketing appoints four to leadership team

Varn Search Marketing has appointed four senior staff to its leadership team following a period of revenue growth and client wins.

Andy Mollison has joined as Search and Innovation Director, Danielle Sheppard as Head of Client Service, Helen Dalton as Head of Technical SEO, and Stephanie Mackay-Stokes as Strategy Director.

They join Chief Executive Officer Tom Vaughton, Managing Director Rob Wilde and Communications Director Vicky Walker in the expanded leadership group.

Bradford on Avon-based Varn reported revenue growth from £600,000 in 2021 to £1.4 million in 2025. It also added 40 new clients in 2025 and increased headcount from nine to 28.

The business has also opened a London office, which houses Varn Health, its specialist medical search marketing team.

The expansion comes as search-focused agencies adapt to changes in how people find information online, with artificial intelligence reshaping how results are presented and discovered. That shift has pushed firms to broaden expertise across technical search, data analysis and client advisory work.

Wilde said the appointments reflect both those market changes and the agency's internal growth.

He said: "Reflecting on my five years with the agency, I am incredibly proud of how our team has evolved its expertise to meet the fundamental shifts in technology. Having the right people at the helm is vital for our 2026 vision. This new senior leadership team brings the focus, specialist expertise, and visionary confidence required to ensure Varn remains a market leader and a rewarding, supportive place to work."

Vaughton said client retention was a key measure of the business's recent performance.

He said: "We are enormously proud of our 94% client retention rate, which is a direct result of our commitment to being a helpful, honest, and transparent partner. As we grow, our senior leadership team will ensure that our core culture remains at the heart of everything we do."

He added: "Search is changing quickly, and the businesses that will benefit most are those that understand how AI, data, and human expertise work together. Our role is to help clients make sense of that complexity, build strategies they can trust, and turn search visibility into measurable commercial growth. This new structure gives us the deep insights to support ambitious businesses as search continues to evolve."

Agency expansion

The figures indicate a sharp increase in scale for a specialist agency that has traditionally focused on search marketing and analytics. Growing from under £1 million in annual revenue to £1.4 million over four years places Varn among independent agencies that have expanded by leaning into technical consulting work rather than broad advertising services.

The increase in staff also suggests a shift in operating model. A team of 28 gives the company more scope to separate technical delivery, client management and strategy roles, which can become harder for smaller agencies to sustain as client rosters grow.

For clients, the appointments signal deeper expertise in areas that have become more specialised. Technical SEO remains central for brands seeking visibility in search, while agencies are also facing demand for advice on generative search and the impact of AI-driven answers on website traffic and customer acquisition.

Mollison's title, which combines search with innovation, reflects that broader shift in agency language and services. Companies in the sector are increasingly framing senior hires around AI, experimentation and changing search behaviour as they respond to uncertainty in the market.

London presence

The move into London adds another layer to Varn's recent expansion. A base in the capital can help independent agencies recruit senior staff and build ties with larger clients, particularly in specialist sectors such as healthcare.

Its Varn Health unit is described as a medical search marketing team, suggesting an effort to build vertical expertise rather than rely solely on generalist search services. Healthcare and medical marketing often require closer attention to regulation, trust signals and technically accurate content, all of which can favour specialist agencies.

At the same time, the reported 94% client retention rate points to the importance of longer-running contracts in agency economics. Retention can be as important as new business for firms managing hiring and investment during periods of rapid growth.

Varn said the new leadership structure would help it manage the next stage of expansion as search continues to evolve.