Kelly Knight

Kelly Knight is the Head of People & Culture at Unit Art Gallery and a Chartered Fellow of the CIPD with over 25 years of experience in HR leadership.

Prior to joining Unit, Kelly spent 17 years at AMV BBDO as HR Director and Chief Diversity Officer, where she played a pivotal role in shaping talent strategies, employee engagement initiatives, and industry-wide inclusion efforts.

Kelly has been instrumental in driving accessibility and diversity in the creative industry, serving on the IPA’s Creative Pioneers apprenticeship programme, which created 2,500 industry jobs from 2012 to 2021. She also contributed to the Advertising & Media Executive, Junior Creative, and Junior Content Producer apprenticeship standards, ensuring structured career pathways for emerging talent.

A recognised industry leader, Kelly was named Campaign Talent Management Person of the Year in 2020 and was included in the inaugural IPA iList for her contributions to diversity and inclusion.

Passionate about reward strategies that enhance employee experience, Kelly pioneered AMV BBDO’s innovative "Life Changes" employee value proposition, which introduced progressive benefits tailored to different life stages—including fertility and transition support, relationship counselling, and flexible global working policies.

Kelly has also been a judge for the CIPD People Management Awards for six years, evaluating excellence in HR strategy, D,E&I and innovation.