Stuart Jaffray has been given the keys to drive Starcom Melbourne as its new managing director from 1 May, filling a void left by Peter Toone in December.
AdNews revealed BMW Australia's former GM of marketing was leaving the automotive sector for a new role at the end of this month and will be replaced at BMW by Mini GM Tony Sesto.
Jaffray will be responsible for the performance of the business, clients and talent.
He told AdNews that after working for several years on client side he wanted a new challenge that would apply his broad skills and experience to helping several clients.
"I've known ( Publicis Media COO) Chris Nolan for more than 10 years, everyone knows each other in the Melbourne market, and I've always been impressed by the people at Starcom and their future vision," Jaffray says.
"With all of the changes that are taking place in the media landscape there are huge opportunities for this agency to drive value and ROI for our clients."
Jaffray will report to Starcom Australia chief executive Toby Barbour, who described the appointment of one of Melbourne's leading marketers as a "statement of intent".
"Stuart is a respected leader in the Melbourne market. His appointment is a statement of our intent to provide genuine thought leadership for our clients on the future of brands, consumers and the media and to connect media metrics to business outcomes," Barbour says.
"Stuart’s business and commercial acumen will be invaluable in guiding our clients' marketing and business transformation."
Broad experience
Jaffray had been with BMW for 11 years and has more than 20 years experience on the client and agency side in London, Sydney and Melbourne. He has and has worked in several industry categories, most recently for a long period in automotive, as well as utilities, telecommunications, financial services, publishing and entertainment.
His expertise includes brand management, media, digital, CRM, events and sponsorships, internal communications, product and pricing.
He joined BMW as CRM manager in 2007 before working across marketing srvices and brand before rising to the top marketing job in 2014.
Prior to BMW, Jaffray worked with Simon Richards Group in account management positions across a range of clients, including AMP, The Age, Telstra, CitiPower, Mercedes-Benz and Village Cinemas.
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