Independent media agency Atomic 212° has appointed Rory Heffernan chief executive officer, effective November.
He succeeds Claire Fenner, who resigned last week.
Heffernan has been Atomic 212°’s national managing director for more than two years.
He was the first employee of Atomic 212°, joining the Sydney office in 2010 before moving to Melbourne in 2014 where he led digital operations and client relationships, before being appointed general manager of the Melbourne office in 2019.
Heffernan said he is very honoured to take on the CEO role and to lead this fantastic team into the future.
"Thank you to Barry and James for what has been an incredible journey and experience to get to this point with Atomic 212°," Heffernan said.
“The past two years have been remarkable for our business, with significant growth in staff, billings and revenue. The refinement of our product across trading, data, performance and strategy has led to great results for clients old and new alike, and I’m incredibly proud of the internal development we’ve had for our people – from our leadership team to our industry-leading People & Culture program.
“Thank you to our amazing people and our supportive, collaborative clients for making us the business we are today. I look forward to working with you all to continue to grow our agency and capabilities, as I will continue to focus on innovation and how we best equip our clients and team into the future."
Atomic 212° chairman Barry O’Brien said good things come to those who wait and today is a wonderful moment for all of Atomic 212° – and a moment 14 years in the making.
"This is one of the better things I get to do: to proudly make this announcement as chairman," O’Brien said.
"Rory was our first employee, and he has grown from the first day he walked into our company. He has played a key role in the growth and success of our clients, our people and our agency. It’s fantastic to see him step up into the CEO position and I know he is going to do a great job.
“Rory will take the reins seamlessly from the great work done by Claire Fenner to lead the team and the company into the future, having set the bar at the highest level for himself and the team with the extraordinary success we have enjoyed over the past few years."
Atomic 212° chief data officer and partner James Dixon said he can’t think of anyone better and more deserving of becoming the new CEO.
"Rory has been with us since the start and has made an invaluable contribution to the success of Atomic 212°," Dixon said.
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