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Movings/Shakings: 12 November

PHD Group expands

L-R: Nicole Haysom, Imogen O’Neill, Matthew Didovich, Max Massia, Daniel Cho

PHD Group has made a string of recent appointments, including bolstering its account service team.

Daniel Cho and Matthew Didovich have been announced as account directors. Cho has several years of media and client service experience, working with brands such as Holden, Mastercard and Adidas and was a finalist at Cannes Young Lions this year. Diovich returns to PHD after honing his skills and knowledge working across automotive and home decor brands in London.

Max Massia has joined the search team as a search director, bringing with him extensive experience across search, strategy and consulting.

Spark PR & Activate has also welcomed two new account directors – Nicole Haysom and Imogen O’Neill. Haysom brings local and international PR experience, having previously worked with Tourism New Zealand, Redbull New Zealand and Redbull USA.

O’Neill has previously worked in sales and marketing for Mudbrick restaurant and winery and Vice NZ.

Additionally, PHD has expanded its digital, media, trading and PR teams with Matthew Towle, Akanksha Mehra, Harrison Shaw, Hannah Butler, Brigitta Rennie, Cheyenne Waltham joining the company within the past two months.

PHD Group acting chief executive Nikki Grafton says the string of new appointments is exciting.

“Each of these individuals brings different perspectives and fresh ideas, which will enrich our ability to find a better way for our clients in New Zealand.”

Global leaders announced

Debbi Vandeven and Paul Nagy

VMLY&R has announced its creative leadership across its global network – following the unification of VML and Y&R in September.

Paul Nagy has been named the regional chief creative officer of Australia and New Zealand. Nagy has been chief creative officer of Y&R Australia since May 2017, when he took over the role from Ben Coulsen.

Nagy has previously worked as executive creative director of Clemenger BBDO Sydney and as a creative director at Clemenger BBDO Wellington.

He has been awarded gold at a number of major international shows and his work has been included in WARC’s ‘100 Smartest Marketing Campaigns in The World’ in 2014, the ‘Best of the Best’ award at AIMIA and B&T’s Campaign of the Year in 2015 for Dolmio’s ‘Pepper Hacker’. In the last year at Y&R he has won gold at Cannes, AdStars and the London International Awards.

VMLY&R’s creative organisation will be led by global chief creative officer Debbi Vandeven, who previously held the role at VML. She will lead more than 2,000 creatives through the network.

Vandeven says she excited to unite the creative energies of the two agencies.

“Our aim is to find new impactful ways to create connected brands and, most importantly, drive value for our client partners.”

John Godsey and Jason Xenopoulos have been named chief creative officers of VMLY&R North America; Jamie Mandelbaum is regional chief creative officer of Europe; Martin ‘Nino’ Goldberg is regional chief creative officer of Latin America; Ryan McManus is regional chief creative officer of South Africa; and Kalpesh Patankar has been named regional chief creative officer of the Middle East and North Africa.

Chairman appointed

I Want Orange has announced the appointment of Mike Hutcheson as creative and innovation advisor and chair of the board.

Hutcheson joins the team with more than 40 years of experience in marketing and advertising. He previously co-founded Colenso BBDO and Hutcheson Knowles Marinkovich, and culminated his career as managing director of Saatchi & Saatchi.

In 2016 he was appointed adjunct professor of innovation at AUT.

Hutcheson says he is particularly interested in the experience economy and sees a big opportunity with I Want Orange.

“In a world where people are swamped with bigger and brighter events that merge in a blur you have to overcome apathy, disinterest and engagement fatigue. This is where Orange has discovered a secret sauce.”

I Want Orange creative director and founder Stu Robertson says having Hutcheson join the team is a great step forward for the business.

“Mike brings a wealth of conceptual and applied creative thought leadership which will be instrumental for the future of Orange. We are committed to leading the experience conversation in New Zealand and Mike’s pedigree empowers us to do that at a greater scale.”

Producer appointed

MediaWorks has appointed Hayley Cunningham to the position of senior network executive for Three. Cunningham has been at MediaWorks since 2012 when she started as a freelance producer and most recently as Three’s head of development.

In her most recent role, she has produced some of MediaWorks’ prime time shows including The X Factor NZ and Dancing with the Stars.

Previously she was a producer on multiple seasons of The Amazing Race in a number of franchises around the world.

MediaWorks chief content officer Andrew Szusterman says the change is a true reflection of the work Cunningham does across a range of shows.

“Hayley, along with her peers John McDonald and Sue Woodfield, continue to oversee New Zealand’s most loved entertainment content. Her title change fully reflects the breadth of her role within the team.”

PR agencies join network

Auckland-based Botica Butler Raduon (BBR) and Passion PR have joined a worldwide collaborative network of boutique public relations firms, PR Boutiques International.

BBR is a full-service corporate communications consultancy with Passion PR as its consumer and digital arm. Founded in 1987, it delivers strategy and creative with execution by its experienced team.

PR Boutiques International has also added five other agencies from the US, Spain, India and Australia.

PR Boutiques International president Amanda Foley says growth is a way to align themselves for the global economy and client needs.

“We now count 45 members across 19 countries, which is a powerful tool for business development, being able to tap category and geographic experts around the globe.”

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