Natalie Bell, CEO of Manning Gottlieb OMD, has joined the board of industry charity, NABS, as its newest Trustee. 

Bell joins the industry charity as Keith Fowler steps down after 44 years. In addition, new co-chairs are announced for NABS’ flagship fundraiser, Stranger than Summer.

Natalie will sit on NABS’ executive committee, helping the charity in its mission to advance the mental wellness of everybody in adland.

Natalie’s appointment comes at a critical time for NABS. The organisation is currently evolving its services in response to the findings of last year’s All Ears community consultation, which revealed that over 70% of the industry want more to be done about mental health at work.

Natalie joins the NABS board as Keith Fowler MBE, NABS’ longest-serving board member, steps down. Fowler served as both a director and trustee and spearheaded the introduction of NABS’ Advice Line. His career outside of NABS included time spent as CEO of EURO RSCG Marketing Group and executive chairman of Edman Communications. 

Sue Todd, CEO, NABS, commented: “Natalie is one of the industry’s most influential names. She brings a wealth of experience in digital strategy, media and leadership to the NABS Board and we know that she’ll help us as we evolve our mission to support all adlanders. We also can’t thank Keith enough for his incredible hard work and dedication over four decades. His support of NABS is unparallelled, and his legacy continues to this day as demand for the Advice Line grows each year.”  

Natalie Bell, CEO of Manning Gottlieb OMD, added: “I am honoured to be joining NABS as a trustee to support Sue and the team. In an industry where we talk a lot about attention, I want to use my role to draw greater attention to the amazing – and in my opinion undervalued – work that NABS do for the industry we all love. Mental wellness has always been a hugely important area for me both professionally and personally.”

She continued: “From an early age I experienced first-hand the impact that mental health challenges can have on individuals and those close to them, and I want to ensure we support anyone in our industry who may face these challenges themselves and make sure they always have somewhere to turn to.”

Meanwhile, two new co-chairs have been appointed to the committee of Stranger than Summer, NABS’ flagship fundraising gala. Gill Huber, managing partner at Future Factory, and Kelly Parker, CEO of Wavemaker, take over from the joint chairs, Liz Jones, founder of Conker, and Ed Couchman, head of sales at Spotify. This year’s Stranger than Summer, held on 6 June, raised a total of £150,000.

NABS’ Todd added: “NABS is so grateful for all of the hard work put in by Liz and Ed, both as chairs and previous to that, serving on the committee. They’ve helped us to drive Stranger than Summer attendance back up to pre-pandemic levels, surpassing our fundraising targets. Gill and Kelly have supported Stranger than Summer brilliantly for many years as committee members. I’m sure, as our new chairs, they’ll help us build on the 2024 achievements.” 

This year 870 people attended the renowned industry party, which was held at City Central at the HAC.

In the wake of the pandemic, demands for NABS services have continued to increase. The charity took more than 4500 calls on their Advice Line last year and put on 100 free workshops, attended by 1500 adlanders. NABS relies solely on industry donations to exist, and this year’s total will help to fund the charity as it continues to help people across our industry community.