It's hard to keep up with all the latest moves across media, marketing and advertising, so we've made a list. Check out the some of the biggest moves this week.
Ben Shepherd departs Thinkerbell
Ben Shepherd has left Thinkerbell after less than a year as general manager of media. He joined the Melbourne agency in July last year after departing CHE Proximity after a year as chief media officer. Shepherd previously worked at PwC Australia and OMD Australia. His next move hasn't been announced.
Carmen Bekker to lead marketing and brand team at KPMG Australia
KPMG Australia has unveiled a new leadership team for its Customer, Brand & Marketing Advisory (CBMA) business. Carmen Bekker will lead the expanded team. Before joining KPMG in 2017, she was partner and European marketing director for flagship WPP agency J Walter Thomson London and before that business director at Saatchi & Saatchi in London and Sydney. Added to the team: newly promoted partner, and financial services specialist, Ben Kilpatrick; social media and consumer insights specialist Louise Pogmore, who was promoted to partner in January 2021; payments and products advisory partner Brett Watson who joins CBMA from the KPMG banking team. Outgoing CBMA lead partner Amanda Hicks is taking on a new role as the national managing partner - client experience and brand.
CHEP's new head of design
CHE Proximity has appointed Christian Hewitt as head of design in Sydney. He has more than 15 years’ experience in the creative and tech industries, working at the intersection of design, storytelling and technology. He was most recently head of design at Streamtime, leading the experience and visual design team to create an award winning product for the creative industries. Prior to that, he has worked at agencies, including R/GA, Huge and For The People, for clients such as Google, Apple, Nike, Beats, YouTube, Playstation, Lego, Electronic Arts and Red Bull.
Wavemaker's Peter Vogel joins MFA board
Peter Vogel, CEO of Wavemaker Australia and New Zealand, has been voted on to the board of directors of the Media Federation of Australia (MFA). He fills the GroupM vacancy created by the departure of Mark Lollback in March. Vogel held a seat on the MFA board in 2014, stepping down in September 2015 when he moved to Hong Kong as CEO of MEC Asia Pacific.
Circles.Life adds marketing boss
Digital telco Circles.Life has added a new head of marketing, Emilie Chell, as it doubles down on the Australian market. Chell has previously headed up marketing for brands including AccorHotels and Crown, as well as insure-tech startup Integrity Life. She will leverage her understanding of the Australian consumer to make Circles.Life the go-to brand for digital natives.
Dentsu alumni moves to MiQ in APAC role
MiQ has appointed Damien Healy as digital operations officer for Asia Pacific (APAC) region as the company continues its growth trajectory. Healy, as well as leading the region's product strategy and development, will be responsible for scaling agency and advertiser relationships. Healy has 20 years’ experience in product and operation leadership positions. Most recently, Healy was global officer, programmatic and addressable media at Dentsu International in London. He also spent five years at GroupM's Xaxis where he led operations, platforms, and product as EMEA chief operating officer, building out 24 markets through a period of rapid growth and expansion. Healy has also worked with Havas, Facilitate Digital, Microsoft and Sensis.
Rob Morgan becomes chair of the Australia Council
Rob Morgan, executive chair of Clemenger Group and an inductee into the AdNews Advertising Hall of Fame, has been appointed chair of the Australia Council. He replaces mining executive Sam Walsh who was in the role for past five years. Morgan, a former director of the Sydney Swans and of Opera Australia, says the council plays a unique and important role in the Australian arts sector.
Ogilvy names head of digital performance
Ogilvy Australia has appointed Nicolas Mendel as head of digital performance. In his new role, Mendel will be responsible for integrating performance media thinking alongside Ogilvy’s creative process, ensuring that the network’s creative campaigns are distributed with precision to the right audience, and are contextually relevant. Since joining Ogilvy in 2014, Mendel has worked across the network globally. He started his career at Ogilvy’s Belgium office, before working in London and then Singapore. He will leverage this global experience in delivering search, social and programmatic media services to drive business results for clients across Australia.
Enero appoints group strategy and M&A director
Enero Group has appointed Nick Burton as group strategy and M&A director. Burton will be based in the boutique marketing and communications company’s headquarters in Sydney. He will be responsible for developing and executing the group’s growth strategy and mergers and acquisitions activities. His appointment will see him become part of the executive leadership team and report to CEO Brent Scrimshaw.
Pathmatics expands into ANZ
US-based digital marketing intelligence platform Pathmatics announced its expansion into Australian and New Zealand. Eugene Du Plessis will lead the Pathmatics ANZ presence as regional director, joining from Nielsen Australia, where he spent the last six years.
AJF's hiring spree
AJF has appointed eight new starters across account management, strategy and production following a raft of new business wins. Clarens Sanchez, Hayley Gafney, Kailah Symons, Luke Girolami and Sam Simpson join the account management team. Joining the strategy team is Andrea Nelson from Leo Burnett and Elyse Scott from the Brand Agency. Tony Truong joins AJF from the Clemenger Group as assistant production manager.
Promotions at Connecting Plots
Connecting Plots has announced three promotions within its strategy, client service and creative teams, including a newly created managing partner role for strategist, Tim Collier. Collier has been with the agency since its inception in 2018. He has been promoted to integrated strategy and planning partner, a newly created role that will see him help shape the trajectory, offering and profile of the company while also leading the strategic department. Account director Gemma Barr has been promoted into the role of integrated project director. The new role will see Barr focus on integrated campaigns and clients. Designer Joe Davies-Griffith has worked within the creative and studio team since September 2019. He has also been promoted to senior designer. In the new role, Davies-Griffith will take on additional duties managing and overseeing more of the studio projects.
PeriscoPe grows Sydney team
Independent digital marketing agency PeriscoPe has expanded its Sydney operations with senior SEO lead, Eugen Donhauser, joining the team. With over eight years of international digital marketing experience working with brands such as Toyota, Kia, Camilla and ShowPo, Donhauser joins from his most recent tenure at price comparison engine WhistleOut. Prior to that he held senior SEO roles at both Admatic and Performics.
Lumo Digital Outdoor appoints ex-Colenso boss
New Zealand-based Lumo Digital Outdoor has appointed former Colenso BBDO managing director Scott Coldham as an independent director to its board. He left Colenso in January and became CMO at technology company Whip Around and local menswear brand Asuwere.
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