PHD has appointed Noel Gate to group business director to lead the Virgin Australia account.
AdNews broke the news that the Omnicom-owned agency won the account earlier this year, with the airline moving its account out of Carat.
Gate, previously business director on PepsiCo, was instrumental in the $30m account win. PHD will work in partnership with fellow Omnicom agency, DDB, which won the creative account in 2017.
With 20 years of media experience, Gate will be responsible for leading the team who will partner with Virgin Australia on their "brand growth journey".
Gate has been with PHD for three years and within the Omnicom Media Group for a total of 10 years and he will now sit on PHD’s leadership team.
"This promotion is thoroughly deserved. Noel has continually delivered for PHD and some of our key clients over the past three years. He was instrumental in our appointment by Virgin Australia and could not be better placed to deliver for them and PHD moving forward," PHD managing director Mark Jarrett says.
As part of the promotion, Gate will now report in directly to Jarrett.
Stepping into Gate's role on PepsiCo will be Kirsty McMeekin who will join as a business director reporting into group business director, Anelida Pardini.
"I’m looking forward to continuing to contribute to the great culture here at PHD in my new role and working with the Virgin Australia team to help realise their ambitions for their brand," Gate says.
Have something to say on this? Share your views in the comments section below. Or if you have a news story or tip-off, drop us a line at adnews@yaffa.com.au
Sign up to the AdNews newsletter, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for breaking stories and campaigns throughout the day.