Kin + Carta announced that CEO J Schwan is retiring from the role at the end of July. He will be succeeded by Kelly Manthey, Group Chief Executive of Kin + Carta Americas, from 1 August 2022. Manthey will take over from Schwan to ensure a seamless execution of the growth strategy, using her operational expertise to drive global scale.

She has been in the business of digital transformation for 25 years, with a career that has spanned every role in the business. Heading up Kin + Carta's Americas region, Manthey has been instrumental in building a growth-minded business with a strong, diverse and progressive culture. The region now accounts for 70% of Kin + Carta's revenue, growing from 400 people when Manthey was appointed as Americas Group Chief Executive, to 1100 today.

She has led Kin + Carta's Americas business as it earned accolades including Fast Company's Best Workplaces for Innovators, Consulting Magazine's Best Large Firms to Work For and Fortune Magazine's Best Places to Work. She has been recognised in The Consulting Report's Top 25 Women Leaders in IT Services, Crain's Chicago Business Tech 50, and is an active advocate for inclusion, diversity and raising the visibility of women in the technology sector. Her career includes serving as CEO of Solstice, the agency Schwan founded in 2001.

Solstice was acquired by St Ives in 2015, and added to its diverse portfolio of digital marketing services agencies. Schwan took over as St Ives CEO in August 2018 and spearheaded its transformation into Kin + Carta, restructuring the legacy portfolio of businesses into a single firm with a common mission of "building a world that works better for everyone." The Board proposes to appoint Manthey as CEO, and to the Kin + Carta Board, effective from 01 August 2022 when she will assume responsibility for the delivery of FY23. Schwan will continue in his current position until this date and will remain with Kin + Carta as a special adviser for six months thereafter to assist with the transition.