It's hard to keep up with all the latest moves across media, marketing and advertising, so we've made a list. Check out some of the biggest moves this week.
Initiative's Sarah James switches to EssenceMediacom
GroupM’s EssenceMediacom has appointed Initiative's Sarah James chief investment officer. James resigned from Initiative after five years at the IPG media agency where she was most recently managing director of Initiative Melbourne. She will lead EssenceMediacom’s media solutions and investment across Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane, working with GroupM CIO Melissa Hey to oversee a client portfolio of close to $1bn in client media spend.
Mark Coad takes charge of Initiative
Mark Coard, the CEO of IPG Mediabrands, has stepped in to run Initiative to fill the hole left by the defection of three senior executives. Coad’s additional role of acting CEO of Initiative ANZ was revealed in an announcement on the promotion of Megan Davey to the newly created role of head of Melbourne following the resignation of Sarah James. James, the managing director of Initiative Melbourne, has moved to GroupM’s EssenceMediacom to be chief investment officer.
Hello Social nabs The Monkey's Dan Fryer
Dan Fryer, after five years as creative director at The Monkeys, part of Accenture Song, is moving to indie Hello Social. Fryer, as executive creative director, will spearhead Hello Social’s creative vision, collaborating across editorial, studio, production, talent, media and PR. Fryer brings experience across both traditional and non-traditional platforms, where he’s been awarded Effies, One Show, AWARD, Cannes Lions, Titanium Grand Prix and D&AD Black Pencil. Fryer's first projects for Uber and Lynx are due to be launched by Hello this week.
Pedestrian CEO Matt Rowley exits in restructure
Pedestrian Group CEO Matt Rowley is exiting in a restructure of the youth entertainment media group owned by Nine Entertainment. Nine last month announced it will be cutting 200 jobs, citing economic headwinds and loss of revenue from Meta's failure to renew news deals. The cuts include between 70 and 90 staff in the publishing division, the first time Nine has cut headcount to editorial since 2017. Rowley announced his departure in a company-wide note to staff this morning.
UM promotes Michael Mellington to head of media planning
UM has promoted Michael Mellington, head of partnerships, Melbourne, to the newly created national role of head of media planning. Reporting to Raj Gupta, UM chief strategy & growth officer, he will be based in Melbourne due to his commitments to Melbourne-based clients. However, he will oversee the national planning team and media planning needs across UM’s national client roster. Mellington joined UM in 2016. His promotion is effective immediately.
Initiative's Melbourne head resigns, Megan Davey steps up
IPG media agency Initiative has promoted Megan Davey to the newly created role of head of Melbourne following the resignation of Sarah James. Davey’s joined Initiative in 2016 as client director. She was promoted to general manager, Melbourne, in 2023.
Clair Weaver steps up as more SCA exits revealed
Clair Weaver has been appointed to the newly created role of head of factual for LiSTNR. This comes one week after a number of redundancies hit the broader Southern Cross Media (SCA) business spanning sales, podcasting, content, marketing and comms roles, including the pending departure of head of news and information Melanie Withnall, and the recent departure of LiSTNR Original Podcasts head of factual and drama Jennifer Goggin. The most high profile exit was chief marketing officer Nikki Clarkson.
Sunday Gravy appoints Karolina Bozajkovska head of creative production
Independent creative agency Sunday Gravy has appointed Karolina Bozajkovska head of production. Bozajkovska is a former executive producer at Clemenger. “Since I first worked with Kaz 20 years ago, she has been the one producer that truly gets creativity, and pushes the boundaries of what’s possible. Kaz is more than a producer. She’s a partner, a leader and an extension of the creative process," Sunday Gravy co-founder Ant White said.
Broadsheet Media appoints Nick Connellan Australia editor
Australian culture guide Broadsheet has appointed Nick Connellan to the newly created role of Australia editor, to run daily operations of the editorial team and contribute to the strategic direction of content. He’ll continue reporting to editorial director Katya Wachtel when she returns from maternity leave, while managing the team’s editors.
Man of Many adds two to team
Man of Many has hired Dean Blake as a journalist covering tech, entertainment and features, and Beatrix Boon as a video producer.
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