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.
Chris Howatson, Ant White start new business
CHE Proximity CEO Chris Howatson and chief creative officer Ant White have both left the agency to start their own venture, Howatson + White. Howatson has been leading the agency since 2012 and also sits on the board of Clemenger Group. He has been working within the Clemenger Group for nearly 20 years. White joined CHE Proximity in 2016 as executive creative director before being promoted to chief creative officer two years ago.
Nine names Powered Enterprise directors
Nine has appointed Nicki Kenyon and Michele O’Neill as the directors of Powered Enterprise. The duo mark the first leadership hires for the new unit, which is tailored for Nine’s C-suite clients. Kenyon has previously worked at Visit Victoria and Visa. O’Neil started her career in 1980 as the first camerawoman for Australian commercial TV and has spent the past three years with Edelman as global strategy partner based in London.
DDB bolsters creative team
DDB Sydney is expanding its creative team with six new hires following a period of growth for the agency. Katyana O’Neill joins DDB as senior art director alongside Emma Leamore, senior copywriter. The duo was most recently at The Monkeys, where they worked on blue-chip brands, including Qantas and Berlei. DDB has also hired Kate Davies and Lauren Seaborn. Davies was previously at CHE Proximity and The Glue Society while Seaborn has worked at leading agencies in Australia and Europe. Additionally, as DDB continues to grow its social offering, Ryan Greves and Madelene McGuinness join the agency as a junior social team.
Junkee Studio appoints strategy director
Junkee Studio has promoted Tom Pitney to strategy director. Pitney will now drive the direction of Junkee’s in-house creative and strategy team, which produces bespoke content solutions for brands. Pitney has previously bought former Fairfax Youth platform TheVine.com.au and quickly scaled its audience before it was acquired by Junkee Media in 2016. From there he founded Gen-Z publication Punkee, and as managing editor was responsible for creating its famed Bachy Recaps.
McCann Melbourne’s new ECD
McCann Melbourne has appointed BBH London creative Psembi Kinstan to the role of executive creative director. Kinstan returns to Melbourne from the UK where he worked for both BBH and VMLY&R as the youngest creative director in history to be appointed by both networks. He has more than 100 international awards to his name. In his new role, Kinstan will lead McCann Melbourne’s creative output and oversee key projects for its affiliated independent network, Hero.
Former AMEX marketer joins Akcelo
Brand experience and innovation company Akcelo has appointed senior marketer Anne Ngo as martech and customer strategy director. For more than 15 years, Ngo has worked in a variety of marketing roles with specialisations in customer lifecycle and retention strategy, digital marketing and martech enablement and design of data-driven, integrated multi-channel marketing solutions.
MediaSmiths adds another senior account planner
Independent media agency MediaSmiths has appointed Jack Geraghty as senior account planner as the independent agency continues to grow. Geraghty joins from Mediacom in Brisbane where he was media executive. Geraghty also has digital experience, working as a social media and content coordinator for Space Digital and a content developer for the Australian Institute of Food Safety. He is also an AWARD School graduate. In his new role based in Sydney, Geraghty will manage end-to-end planning, buying and execution of a number of the agency’s key clients.
Assemble Communities grows to 36
Assemble Communities has expanded its team with 15 new staff hires since March, including Rebecca Shackleton as relationship and marketing director. Rebecca has more than 15 years of industry experience, working most recently at Satterley where she led the sales and marketing team.
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