Andrew Howie exits Westpac for Amazon
Westpac’s head of advertising Andrew Howie is set to join Amazon Australia as the tech giant's new head of brand. AdNews understands Howie, who joined Westpac late last year, will report to director of marketing, Arno Lenior, who is the formerly CMO of Samsung Australia. Westpac is yet to find a replacement, with the recruitment process still underway. “We will miss Andrew’s energy and passion and wish him the very best in his new role," Westpac head of brand, advertising and media Jenny Melhuish told AdNews. “We are always looking for great people to join our business and are currently recruiting for the role of head of advertising.” Prior to joining Westpac, Howie held the role of group marketing manager for Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA), before moving to Westpac in November last year. Read more.
Andrew Knott named chief media officer of JPMorgan Chase
Former NAB CMO Andrew Knott has resurfaced in the US as JPMorgan Chase's first-ever chief media officer. In the new role, Knott will be responsible for all of the American bank's paid, owned and earned media and report into CMO Kirstin Lemkau. Knott's departure from NAB was announced in May this year and the bank is yet to name his replacement. Prior to his role at NAB, Knott was the VP of media and digital for McDonald’s APAC, Middle East and Africa CMO and vice president of marketing at Salesforce. He also worked on the agency side as chief digital officer of Havas Worldwide and spent more than a decade at Ogilvy. During his two years at NAB, Knott introduced the 'More than Money' positioning and pushed for greater transparency within the industry. Read more.
AKQA grows Melbourne leadership team
Global design and innovation agency AKQA has appointed Daniel Robathan as general manager and Daniel Holleb as strategy director in the Melbourne studio. Robathan joins from IBM with over 15 years’ experience leading digital and technology teams. Holleb joins AKQA from Seoul, Korea where he was working in Samsung’s internal strategy consulting group. The pair will report directly to managing partner Brian Vella. “These two very smart talents are an amazing addition to our existing, high achieving team,” Vella said. “We’ve deliberately searched broadly and for broader backgrounds in this case, ensuring that we add new and different perspectives. We’re very excited about what they’ll bring to our clients and the work.”
Val Morgan Group announces key senior leadership changes
Val Morgan Group has reveled its new leadership team with three internal promotions across its Val Morgan Cinema and VMO businesses. Tristan Wyse, Paul Butler and Jane King will take on new positions across the Val Morgan Group with Butler and Wyse promoted to managing director roles of the VMO and Val Morgan Cinema businesses respectively, while King takes on the role of director of marketing for Val Morgan Group. “These key appointments will continue Val Morgan’s commitment to attracting and developing exceptional talent within the business," Val Morgan Group CEO Dan Hill says. "Tristan, Paul and Jane have extensive experience in the media industry which will help shape the future of Val Morgan Group and evolve our offering to meet the evolving expectations of our clients.”
David Lee Appointed Initiative’s national head of digital partnerships
David Lee has been appointed national head of digital partnerships at Initiative, a new role at the media agency network. He takes on direct responsibility for helping clients with digital centric strategies, end-to-end content marketing, media partnerships, investments, operations and measurement. Lee has been promoted from his role as head of digital at Initiative Melbourne and has 14 years’ experience in media working across all major categories. Prior to joining Initiative he was a co-founder of the ASX-listed influencer agency Nuffnang. In addition to his Initiative role, Lee is an Advisory Board Member at Channel 31, Victoria’s community TV network, and VidCon, world’s largest conference for content creators.
The Labs adds new talent to its 'Smarter Experience' Team in Australia
The Labs, a human centric experience design consultancy, has bolstered its Australian operations with the appointments of Lee Liversedge, Sally Orme and Yige Ma. The trio brings strong backgrounds in brand strategy and design to their roles at The Labs, which partners with businesses, developers, architects, and brand builders to create "smarter experiences" that activate places and spaces. Liversedge, formerly head of brand at Imagination, has joined The Labs as principal consultant, bringing with him a background in brand strategy and over 20 years global experience as an award-winning designer. Orme joins The Labs as a design-led strategist. She brings a unique skillset built over a 20-year career across a range of industries. Ma joins The Labs as a senior experience design consultant. She brings more than eight years of experience in management consulting, program management, digital transformation, start-up and innovation.
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