Pulse Advertising has appointed Paola Nannelli as Chief Executive Officer, as the agency accelerates growth across the UK and US and doubles down on its position at the forefront of social commerce.
Paola succeeds Chris Kastenholz and Lara Daniel, who co-founded Pulse Advertising in 2014 and will remain shareholders in the business, continuing to support its strategic direction. Pulse Advertising remains fully independent and is not backed by outside investors.
The leadership transition follows a period of strong growth. After a successful 2024, Pulse Advertising carried that momentum into 2025 by sharpening its focus on what it sees as its core differentiator: enabling multinational consumer brands to operate with globally consistent strategy and culturally fluent local execution.
Over the past year, Pulse Advertising has deepened partnerships with enterprise clients including Apple, Nestlé, BlackRock and The North Face, expanded its social commerce infrastructure, and strengthened its ability to serve brands at both headquarters and local market level.
“Brands win when strategy is global, but execution is deeply local,” said Paola Nannelli, CEO of Pulse Advertising. “That balance has defined our growth so far, and it will continue to guide how we scale in the UK and US.”
Paola joined Pulse Advertising in 2019, initially building the agency’s Italian operations before going on to lead global sales as Chief Sales Officer. During her tenure, she has significantly expanded Pulse Advertising’s client roster and strengthened senior relationships with platform partners.
“Social media demands partners who can deliver at pace and at scale,” said Nannelli. “I’m grateful to Chris and Lara for this opportunity and excited to keep Pulse Advertising as the partner brands choose when they want to win on social, globally.”
Chris Kastenholz added: “Paola is the right person to take over Pulse Advertising, having built our Italian operations originally and, more recently, delivering client excellence as CSO. We’re excited for this next chapter.”
Lara Daniel said: “Leadership at Pulse Advertising has never been about titles — it’sabout impact. Paola has earned this moment, and I couldn’t be more confident in where she’ll take the agency next.”
Looking ahead, Pulse Advertising is investing in senior growth hires cross the UK and US, leaders who combine deep local market expertise with a global mindset, while continuing to build proprietary measurement tools that directly connect social investment to customer acquisition and sales.
The agency is also productising its social commerce capabilities, enabling brands to turn creator-led discovery into measurable transaction and long-term revenue growth.As social becomes a direct revenue driver, the agency is expanding its capabilities across social commerce, creator advocacy and advanced measurement, while exploring new market opportunities.
Pulse Advertising believes 2026 will mark a structural shift in how social is valued by brands.
“Social media has stopped being a marketing channel and has become commerce infrastructure,” said Nannelli. “TikTok Shop processed $9 billion in just 16 months. Unilever is reallocating $5 billion into social. Coca-Cola’s CEO has described influencers as ‘our new television’. This isn’t just hype — it’s a reallocation of budgets at scale.”
Pulse Advertising points to a widening gap between where consumer attention lives and where marketing spend is still concentrated, calling it one of the biggest inefficiencies in modern marketing. The agency expects that imbalance to correct rapidly.
“We’re building full-funnel strategies where creators don’t just drive reach — they convert,” Nannelli added. “Discovery, consideration and purchase increasingly happen in the same scroll. Brands that understand this early will own their categories. Those that don’t will spend 2027 catching up.”
