Sunderland-based digital agency Phonetic Digital has strengthened its leadership team as it prepares for its next stage of growth.
The B Corp certified agency has welcomed Bethanie Durham as Digital Director and shareholder, while Matthew Bryson has also been appointed as a Technical Director and shareholder in recognition of the role he has played in the business since day one.
The appointments mark an important step for Phonetic Digital as it continues to grow from its Sunderland base, expand its offerings and support more organisations across the region with their websites, digital marketing and training services.
Bethanie joins the Phonetic team with 13 years of agency experience, leading her previous agency to an award win. She has a strong background in digital marketing, client strategy and service delivery, with experience with clients such as HelloFresh, Ralph Lauren and The White Company.
In her new role, she will lead Phonetic Digital’s marketing function, helping to strengthen the agency’s offering, develop its capabilities and create more opportunities for clients throughout the North East.
Matthew has been part of Phonetic Digital since the business began and has played a major role in shaping its technical services and approach to website delivery.
In his role as Technical Director, he will continue to lead on technical strategy, website development, data and analytics work that supports the agency’s growing client base.
These appointments come at a busy time for the agency, as they recently opened The Training Room.
This new space was created to make digital learning more accessible offering specialist Beyond the Basics sessions, tailored Team Training and free Digital Drop-ins for charities, social enterprises and community groups.
Steven Parker, Managing Director of Phonetic Digital, spoke about the agency’s growth and new appointments:
“Bethanie and Matthew both bring different strengths to the leadership team, and these appointments are an important step forward for the business.
Beth joins us as our Digital Director and will take the lead on all things marketing at Phonetic. She brings a wealth of agency experience from two of the region’s largest, increases our delivery capability, and broadens our service offering too.
Matthew is everything and more that anyone could wish for in a business partner. Dependable, hard-working, and most of all, the person who fixes everything.
It’s exciting to be moving into the second half of 2026 with new staff, new services, and a new space with The Training Room.”
Bethanie spoke about her new role at Phonetic Digital:
“I’m delighted to be a part of a team and an agency who genuinely care about doing good business in the area. The number of initiatives I’ve learned about in my short time here so far is outstanding, everything from supporting a business building oyster reefs to limit shore corrosion, to sharing our expert knowledge with small local businesses to improve digital skills.
There’s a lot of talent in this small team, and I am so excited by all of the potential here.”
With a strengthened leadership team and The Training Room now open, the agency is looking ahead to its next chapter with plenty of momentum and a continued commitment to supporting organisations across Sunderland, the North East and beyond.