EXCLUSIVE: Mindshare Australia has appointed client leader on the IBM account Mandy Kennett as chief talent officer, to sit on the agency's national senior management board.
The newly-created role follows a trend in the industry, which has seen numerous media agencies appoint talent or culture people, in the interests of attracting and maintaining staff. Agencies such as Ikon Communications, MediaCom and OMD already have similar roles.
Kennett will sit on Mindshare's national leadership team, which comprises of chief executive James Greet, commercial director John Clements, chief strategy officer Katie Rigg-Smith, Sydney general manager Kerry Field and Melbourne general manager Sharon Pitcher. When Ignite Media's Sharb Farjami arrives later in the year as national trading director, he will also be on the leadership team.
Greet said: "Attracting, developing and retaining talent is a critical management agenda for the leadership of our company. Ultimately the reason why the notion of talent being an Agency's most important resource is so overused is because it's true. However to achieve our ambitions for the development and nurturing of our talent and the programs we have planned requires the focus of a dedicated chief talent officer."
The issue of industry churn has been particularly contentious of late. While Kennett stressed that her appointment was about promoting culture rather than addressing chrun, she did say: "Churn is a big issue within the industry as a whole. As an overall industry, we do have a high turnover. It is important to successfully manage your staff."
Earlier this month, MediaCom chief executive Toby Jenner hit out at rival agency UM, claiming the agency is poaching his senior staff and highlighting talent shortages that many agencies are facing.
Have something to say? Send us your comments using the form below or contact the writer at davidblight@yaffa.com.au
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.