Leo Burnett Melbourne appoints four new creative directors
Leo Burnett Melbourne has ramped up its core offering by hiring four new creative directors. Chris Jovanov, Jess Lilley and Jim Walsh all join the company with a diverse background across digital, creative and design, while Daniel Pizzato has been promoted internally. Jovanov has been appointed digital creative director and will be responsible for evolving the company’s digital offering. He has experience with multiple Australian and international agencies including R/GA New York, AKQA Melbourne and Clemenger BBDO.Creative duo Lilley and Walsh will head up a range of brands, with a focus on driving Leo Burnett Melbourne’s creative offering. Both join the agency from JWT Melbourne, where they held similar roles. Pizzato has been promoted within Leo Burnett Melbourne. He is teamed with existing creative director, Michelle Walsh, to leverage his design, fashion and conceptual creative experience across major clients. Read more.
Ita Buttrose departs Studio 10
Studio 10 co-host Ita Buttrose has stepped down from her role. Buttrose had been in the role for the past five years. She had been one of the hosts of Studio 10 since it first went to air in November 2013. Network Ten chief content officer Beverley McGarvey said the show would miss Buttrose and thanked her for her contributions to the show. Network Ten will announce new co-hosts to join Studio 10’s Sarah Harris, Joe Hildebrand and Denise Drysdale soon. Read more.
WhiteGrey appoints new chief strategy and CX officer
WPP AUNZ’s WhiteGrey has announced that James Keeler has been appointed chief strategy and customer experience officer. His promotion will see him work across all WhiteGrey clients with support from across the team. Keeler has been with the group for more than nine years. WPP AUNZ chief strategy officer Rose Herceg congratulated Keeler on the role, wishing him all the best in the future as he looks to play a bigger leadership role for the company. His appointment follows the shakeup of the WhiteGrey team that saw Lee Simpson appointed as CEO following the departure of Paul Worboys and Miles Joyce. Read more.
iSelect appoints new CMO following trading woes
Consumer comparison site iSelect has appointed Warren Hebard as CMO, following the departure of former CMO Geraldine Davys earlier this year. Hebard joins the company from William Hill, where he had held a similar role. He will be responsible for building out the company's brand and consumer engagement across all of its media channels. The decision follows the departure of iSelect CEO Scott Wilson, who stepped down from the role due to a poor trading performance. Hebard will be charged with conducting a strategic review of the company's marketing as it looks to recover from its recent underperformance. The shift follows the creative shakeup at iSelect, appointing The Royals in November last year. Read more.
Seven appoints former Ten BBL executive as head of cricket
Seven West Media has appointed Dave Barham as the network's head of cricket, following the signing of its six-year broadcast agreement with Cricket Australia. Barham is a former MD of AFL Films and has served as the head of sport for Network Ten, managing the network's coverage of the Big Bash League (BBL) and Australian F1 Grand Prix. The broadcast deal, which runs from 2018 through to 2024, includes domestic free-to-air broadcast rights to 43 of the 59 BBL matches, including all marquee matches and finals, domestic tests, the 2021-22 home Ashes series and key women's BBL games. Seven head of sport Saul Shtein expressed his excitement about having Barham onboard, praising his work around raising the profile of the BBL while at Ten. Read more.
APN Outdoor appoints Shoebridge Media Group
APN Outdoor has appointed Shoebridge Media Group to manage its in-house communications. Shoebridge, the outgoing Ten head of corporate communications, will operate the company's in-house communications unit three days a week, effective late May. Shoebridge announced he would leave his role at Ten to launch the media consultancy. He had led Ten’s corporate communications for the past six years and was previously the media and marketing editor at the AFR for almost a decade. He formally leaves Ten on 25 May but will continue to work with the company as a consultant. Read more.
Tim Wood returns to Australia with R/GA Sydney
Tim Wood will be returning to Australia this month, after five and a half years, as he joins R/GA Sydney as a creative director. Wood had most recently been in New Zealand working with YoungShand, following a stint with RAPP, working in a similar role. Wood has already finished up in his previously role and is set to begin working R/GA Sydney on 30 April.
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.