As we approach the end of 2016, the industry is showing no signs of slowing down. From Russel Howcroft announcing his new position at PwC to a slew of creative moves, check out the Movers and Shakers of the week.
Russel Howcroft resigns from Ten to join PwC
Russel Howcroft has resigned from his role as executive general manager at Network Ten Melbourne to take up a chief creative officer at PwC. He will leave Ten in February 2017 and begin his newly-created role at PwC in March. Howcroft joined Network Ten in January 2013. Prior to Ten he had a long career within agencies, including GPY&R and Brandhouse. Howcroft will be a key leader in PwC's new CMO Advisory practice, which works across six critical business areas: brand strategy, marketing strategy, market insights, marketing performance analytics, marketing structure and operations, and creative solutions. Read more here.
303 MullenLowe brings on Andrew Livingston to head media division
303 MullenLowe has lured former Initiative CEO Andrew Livingston back to Sydney to join the agency as managing partner of its media division. Livingston departed Initiative at the end of last year, a year after he moved to the COO role and Lee Leggett stepped up to CEO. At the time IPG Mediabrand’s chairman Henry Tajer said it wasn’t a demotion, but it was seen as a step down for Livingston across the industry. Read more here.
Gavin McLeod reappears at San Fran agency AKQA
Gavin McLeod has reappeared at San Francisco agency AKQA as executive creative director (ECD), weeks after he announced he would leave his position at R/GA. McLeod, who was a founding member of R/GA Sydney, left the business after four years as ECD. Gavin will lead the creative discipline and joins the executive leadership team, reporting directly to Simon Jefferson, MD of AKQA’s San Francisco office. Read more here.
Bupa promotes Jane Power to marketing director
Health insurance and care company Bupa has promoted Jane Power to director of marketing for Australia and New Zealand, succeeding John Moore who will take up a global customer service leadership position in January. The appointment comes a day after Bupa revealed Mindshare and AJF Partnership won a pitch to be dual lead agencies. Power is the director of brand and health & care marketing and played a pivotal role repositioning Bupa from an insurer to a broader health and care company. Read more here.
Steve Coll brings Havas creatives to With Collective
With Collective has snared Havas London's Dan Bolton and Barnaby Packham. The award winning pair, who worked with Steve Coll, With Collective chief creative officer, previously at Droga5, will join the agency in the role of associate creative directors. Throughout their careers Bolton and Packman have worked across big Aussie brands, including Qantas and Woolworths. Read more here.
With Collective expands into content with new hire
With Collective has hired Iain Todd to head a new content division for the agency. Todd was held various content and operations roles at Kalido and M&C Saatchi, also doing some freelancing work for The Monkeys. In his new position, Todd will be responsible for building out the agency's content offering to help With Collective's current clients as well as the wider Dentsu Aegis Network group. Co-founder and COO Dom Hind says the move into content was a natural extension for the rapidly expanding business. Read more here.
GroupM's marketing lead takes on WPP role
GroupM business development and marketing officer Greg Graham has had his role expanded to include group marketing director duties for parent company WPP AUNZ. The WPP role is a newly-created position. Graham, a GroupM veteran of 28 years, will split his time between the two organisations from January 2017. “We’re incredibly lucky to have someone with Greg’s extensive new business and marketing expertise. He knows this business inside out and his valuable insights will benefit all our WPP AUNZ companies. I look forward to working with him to pursue even greater growth opportunities for the group,” WPP AUNZ group business director Rob Currie said.
Ikon Sydney hires Maria Casas as head of content
Ikon Sydney Group has strengthened its core leadership team and content offering with the appointment of Maria Casas as the agency’s new head of content. Casas’ key remit is to provide leadership and implementation across all of the content needs of Ikon’s clients and lead Ikon’s content and social team. She was most recently head of social media at Saatchi & Saatchi Sydney, also holding roles Reprise, Universal Pictures and Lavender.
Initiative lures Ensemble’s John Dawson
Initiative is aiming to build out its strategy offering, hiring John Dawson in then new role of communications design director for the Sydney office. Dawson joins Initiative from Ensemble, also holding roles at Mindshare and GroupM. He will work with strategy and creative leads to develop ideas that shape the experience people have with brands across owned, earned, shared and paid encounters.
Quantcast expands with former Telstra marketer
Quantcast has expanded its management team with the addition of fifteen staff across marketing, sales, customer service and publisher management. The company said it has appointed former Telstra marketer James Stewart, who assumes the role of head of marketing, leading marketing, PR and communications, former Inception digital commercial director Guy Burbidge as sales director, Sizmek Asia-Pacific trading director Dylan Robinson, has joined as senior manager publisher development and MCN head of ad operations Nick O’Grady, who takes the position of customer success lead.
Kin Community appoints MD
Kin Community has hired a Liz Ferguson as managing director and Sarah Chegwidden as integrated marketing manager. Ferguson joins from social video broadcaster Brave Bison, also holding senior roles at YouTube previously. Chegwidden was formerly the general manager of influencer strategy agency, The Remarkables Group. The pair aim to build on the momentum of the Kin platform that launched in Australia earlier this year.
VMO grows sales team
Val Morgan Outdoor (VMO) has created new roles within the business to expand its Sydney sales division. As part of the growth, Ryan Simpson has been promoted to national direct manager with Michael Robertson stepping into his former role of NSW sales director. Robertson re-joins VMO after spending the last few years running his own business.
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