Istoria Group, the Bristol-based collective of creative agencies, has made two new group-level appointments, with Silka Mitchell joining as creative director and Bryn Isaac as financial director.
Silka, pictured, who is German-born and has lived and worked in both Germany and in the UK, brings top London agency experience to her role, having been a director at Brinkworth and Neu Architects. 
She also has broad international experience through delivering projects in the commercial and public realms across Europe, Western Asia and China.
Bryn, pictured below, is Bristol-born and bred and brings great expertise in, and knowledge of, regional markets and business to his role.
He joins after eight years as financial director of We Are Fearless, a London-based integrated marketing agency specialising in sports, culture and music sponsorship and partnerships.
He has also worked with start-up and group-owned agencies previously, including TBWA/Worldhealth, Momentum Worldwide and Given London.
For Istoria Group, he will provide the financial lead within the business across all the agencies in the group and will manage financial planning covering both opportunity and risk. 
The Istoria Group includes exhibition and events specialists Ignition, known for being sustainable pioneers and as recipients of The Queen’s Award for Enterprise in Sustainable Development 2020-25; hospitality and retail designers Phoenix Wharf, known for its work for regional operators such as Yeo Valley, The Bristol Loaf, Better Food and Spicer + Cole, as well as for national retailer SpaceNK and Apprentice winner Harpreet Kaur; and purposeful digital transformation experts Tiny Spark, whose virtual exhibit expertise during the pandemic helped Istoria Group survive the period’s challenging business conditions.
Istoria Group CEO Sam Rowe said: “Creative director at group level was an important role to fill and it was proving difficult to find the right candidate. We were delighted therefore to be introduced to Silka.
“Her languages and multi-disciplinary, cross-sector experience will bring fresh energy and a new level of design sophistication to our studio.” 
Silka added: “My ambition is to help Istoria Group grow and develop an even stronger 3D identity, becoming known for creative originality and excellence.
“I look forward to unlocking further potential from the talented studio and to bringing in the next generation of talent to complement my vision.
“I further hope to instil creative leadership, inspiration and motivation and improve processes and the working environment through creative intervention and dialogue. I’m really excited to be working with a business with such a wealth of knowledge, strong ethics and a truly sustainable ethos.”
Bryn said he aimed to use his experience of young and dynamic businesses to update processes and modernise systems at Istoria Group to help all parts of the business become more efficient and productive.
“I’m looking forward to working alongside the leadership team to plan future strategic business growth, both operationally within the internal team and externally as the business grows in size,” he said.
Last autumn Istoria Group achieved the rigorous global standard of B Corp certification, which recognises firms that balance profit, people and planet.
Sam Rowe said Bryn’s relevant knowledge and experience were vital as the group continued its ambitious plans to grow and develop sustainable creative solutions for clients.
“As a B Corp, our ambition is to grow in the right way – with the right clients and the right team in place. These two new senior appointments are a huge leap in the right direction.”
Silka and Bryn photos by Josh Holder
