It's hard to keep up with all the latest moves across media, marketing and advertising, so we've made a list. Check out the biggest moves in adland this week.
Admatic national CEO resigns to join Nunn Media
Admatic's national CEO, Matthew Crook, has resigned from his role after two years to join independent agency Nunn Media as head of strategic development. Crook had been running Admatic since August last year after joining in 2017 from Dentsu Aegis Network (DAN). Prior to Admatic he had been the first CEO of Amplifi Australia, DAN's independent investment arm. Speaking to AdNews, Crook confirmed his departure, wishing the agency the best in it's "continued national growth". AdNews understands Crooks new role is not related to any movement within the DAN business.
Ogilvy Sydney snares ECD Gavin McLeod
WPP AUNZ-owned agency Ogilvy has appointed internationally awarded digital creative Gavin McLeod as executive creative director for Sydney. McLeod returns from San Francisco where he was ECD at AKQA, moving back Australia to take on the role with Ogilvy. Prior to moving to San Francisco, he was the founding ECD for R/GA Sydney, helping build the business from just four employees at launch, to 80+ staff four years later. He has also held creative leadership positions at TBWA Australia and M&C Saatchi Sydney where he rose to ECD digital and direct. He brings more than 20 years' experience with him and has received a number of international accolades across major creativity and effectiveness awards.
MediaCom Melbourne names ex-Publicis CCO as MD
MediaCom Melbourne has appointed Carl Colman as managing director. Colman joins from Publicis Media where he was chief client officer for more than four years. In his new role at MediaCom, he’s responsible for developing the existing team, while attracting new talent to improve media partner relationships. Colman has more than 20 years’ experience across creative, media and digital and has worked with clients including Suncorp, Telstra and Qantas.
OzTAM digital strategy director exits
OzTAM is searching for a new head of digital following the departure of digital strategy director Padraig O’Donovan to start his own business. Over the past five years O’Donovan has managed the development and deployment of OzTAM’s video player measurement reporting service, which provides daily audience data for broadcasters’ IP-delivered video on demand (BVOD) services. Having achieved that milestone, O’Donovan is off to launch his own consultancy. OzTAM CEO Doug Peiffer thanked O’Donovan for his contribution to OzTAM and the broader television industry.
Havas Health & You introduces first global CMO
Havas Health & You (HH&Y) has appointed Megan Rokosh as its first global CMO. Rokosh's new role will see her coordinate global marketing across HH&Y’s more than 70 active countries and 4000+ employees, including in the Asia-Pacific. Previously the director of communications for Havas’ media and creative networks in North America, Rokosh brings more than 13 years of global marketing and communications experience across various categories of the agency business. She has worked with regional and global clients, partners and media, including MLB, NHL, Disney, Revlon, Walmart, Rogers Communications, UN Women, Cannes, ANA, Forbes, Business Insider, Wall Street Journal and Ad Age.
Deloitte Digital's Jakub Drhlik joins martech consultancy
Martech consultancy Venntifact has appointed former Deloitte Digital director - marketing technology Jakub Drhlik as its director of consulting. Drhlik joins from Deloitte Digital where he spent 4 years building the team of 50+ practitioners responsible for marketing cloud strategy & implementation. Venntifact will lean on Drhlik's "deep understanding" of digital marketing and the technical requirements for enterprise brands to successfully transform. In his new role he will be responsible for growing the consultancy practice at Venntifact, and providing senior strategic oversight for clients, helping them tackle some of the "toughest problems in marketing technology".
Kantar Australia bolster national leadership team
Kantar Australia has strengthened its leadership team with several new appointments across its insights division. Leigh Mander and Jacqui Brandt have both been promoted to the role of managing director, leading the Sydney and Melbourne insights offices, respectively. As part of the appointments, both MDs are now accountable for the commercial success and strategy of each office. Jonathan Sinton has also been promoted to the role of chief commercial officer. Sinton returned to Australia in January from the US where he spent five years in New York as Kantar’s global digital director. James Brown was also promoted into the newly created national head of shopper in Australia with a secondary focus driving growth within the broader superannuation sector.
Thinkerbell hires new head of PR
Thinkerbell has appointed Catherine King as head of PR, or as the agency likes to put it head thinker PR – earned media. King is a marketing and communications specialist with expertise in public relations led integrated communications, in a career that spans over 20 years. She has previously headed up PR at Naked Communications, where she previously worked with Thinkerbell co-founder Adam Ferrier. After Naked, she took on the role as general manager of The Conscience Organisation. She has also sat on the board of SugarByHalf and is a local co-founder of a comms hackathon event called Good For Nothing. In addition to her work with Thinkerbell, Catherine works for the World Bank Group as a communications consultant, and leads creative think tank, The Romantics.
Xero Australia announces new marketing director
Xero Australia has appointed Vladka Kazda as marketing director. In her new role, Kazda is responsible for Xero’s brand and go-to-market strategy in Australia, including leading the marketing function’s operations, channel mix, analytics, automation and customer loyalty programs. A key position on Xero Australia’s senior leadership team, she will work closely with Zero Australia's managing director Trent Innes. Kazda brings more than 17 years' experience with her including more than 15 years at carsales.
Studio 100 Group expands business
Studio 100 Group is expanding global and Australian businesses commencing with the appointment of Barbara Stephen as CEO of content for Studio 100 International. In addition to her role as CEO for Sydney-based Flying Bark Productions, Stephen will assume executive management of all development, investment and animation production across the creative businesses including Studio 100 Animation, Studio Isar Animation and Little Airplane Productions. The company has also backed the major expansion of Flying Bark Productions’ in-house animation capabilities which now includes the new appointment of Alexia Gates-Foale as head of animation production. Leading a team of almost 300 people, Foale will help develop greater expertise and long-term employment opportunities for the local Sydney studio across the hand-drawn 2D animation and in-house CGI teams.
Atomic 212 appoints new Melbourne GM
Australian independent media agency Atomic 212 has appointed Rory Heffernan as general manager of its Melbourne agency. Heffernan was the first employee of Atomic 212, joining the Sydney office in 2010 and moving to Melbourne in 2013. He will now be responsible for the operational leadership of the Melbourne office. He will report to Melbourne managing director and partner, Claire Fenner.
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