Lily & Louis & Ramage
After departing his role as chief executive of Y&R recently, Jon Ramage is now executive chairman at boutique PR company Lily & Louis, which he owns with his partner Jacqui Ansin. He has been a director since the company was established in 2009 and the agency, which also features a large showroom, has managed to carve out a good niche at the top end in that time, with the likes of Audi, Porsche, Montblanc, San Pelligrino and a range of other fashion, beauty, technology and lifestyle clients on its books.
Feels like four
DDB New Zealand has added four new team members to its creative department, with Zac Lancaster and Tom Cunliffe joining from 99 and Adam Barnes and James O’Sullivan joining from Ogilvy.
Lancaster and Cunliffe’s work on ‘Westpac Dairy Industry Awards’ was named December’s NAB Newspaper Ad of the Month. And prior to this the team sharpened their skills at Clemenger BBDO in Wellington. They have worked on major brands including Westpac, NZTA, Air New Zealand and KiwiRail.
Barnes and O’Sullivan have made their mark in the industry having won a Bronze Young Gun, a D&AD shortlist and a Radio Orca, all in their first two years on the job. Their work for KFC and L&P gained huge kudos in the industry.
“These guys have the right balance of bold smarts and good humour that we need to make our clients successful,” says DDB group executive creative director Andy Fackrell. “And they’re nice guys to boot.”
Kea spreads its wings
Kea, the organisation that connects New Zealand to its most influential expats, has announced a new board of directors—the majority of them from the financial sector—to drive a bold new strategy to connect more Kiwis around the world than ever before.
After 11 years, co-founder and chair Sir Stephen Tindall is stepping down and will be replaced by New York-based financier Phil Veal. New board members include Stefan Preston (World Class New Zealander and entrepreneur), Nicky Bell (Saatchi & Saatchi NZ chief executive), Rob Cameron (investment banker) and Craig Donaldson (banker).
Global chief executive Dr Sue Watson says Kea’s new strategy increases Kea’s reach and influence by building and activating three valuable communities of Kiwi expats and friends of New Zealand.
The first is an open online community aimed at connecting the one million New Zealanders who live abroad.
“There are one million Kiwis living offshore, and our goal—and one of the objectives for our new board—is to connect with every one of them, to make New Zealand the most globally connected nation in the world. Social media enables us to extend our reach like never before.”
The second is a network of 1000 of New Zealand’s most influential people around the world.
“Connecting these New Zealanders, and opening up the contacts, capability and capital they hold, will boost New Zealand’s economic development,” she says.
The third is to further activate the World Class New Zealand programme that Kea already runs: a network of 160 New Zealanders who make a significant contribution to New Zealand.
“I’m delighted to be taking up the challenge, with the help of the board, a group of well-connected and highly successful New Zealanders, to reach our talented diaspora for the benefit of New Zealand,” says new chair Phil Veal.
Let it all out
Paul Kenny has launched his latest venture Shout, a media company that aims to “provide advertisers new, fresh and alternative options when planning ambient activity” and “recommend cost effective, innovative and relevant out of home ideas for your clients’ campaign.
Kenny has plenty of experience in the outdoor advertising sector and entered the market in 1998, joining APN Outdoor on his return from the UK. During his time at APN he realised the potential of this undeveloped market and co-founded iSite Media in 2000.
iSite quickly secured key exclusive advertising contracts with Westfield NZ, Kiwi Income Property Trust and AMP to install and market billboard signage throughout their shopping centre locations. In addition iSite successfully developed a number of other advertising mediums including, bus advertising , smart cars and lifts, together with other ambient and experiential activities requested by advertisers.
iSite was sold in late 2005 with Kenny staying on as chief executive. And at the time of his departure in October 2007, it was the country’s largest billboard company.
Kenny also co-founded FMC TV, a company specialising in placing digital screens in the retail environment and he joined Hypermedia, a start-up shopper marketing company in 2010.
The price is right
Price comparison shopping site PriceMe has been awarded Red Herring’s
Top 100 Asia Award as one of the most promising private technology ventures from
the Asia/Pacific business region.
The Red
Herring editorial team selected the most innovative 100 companies from a pool
of over 700 from across the Asia/Pacific region. Finalists were evaluated on
both quantitative and qualitative criteria, such as financial performance,
technology innovation, quality of management, execution of strategy, and
penetration into their respective industries.
“It confirms we’re on track to become a leading provider of comparison shopping services both in New Zealand and overseas. We’re expanding quickly in the South East Asia region where online shopping is growing rapidly,” says Chris Palmer, marketing director and partner in PriceMe.
Previous Kiwi winners
of the Red Herring Top 100 award include well-known technology leaders Augen
Software Group, Mi5 Security and Orion Health. Local technology company VMOB
was also selected in the Top 100 companies in 2012. And tech giants such as
Google, Facebook, Yahoo!, eBay, Twitter, Skype and YouTube were all Top 100
winners in previous years.
“We believe PriceMe
embodies the vision, drive and innovation that define a successful
entrepreneurial venture,” says Alex Vieux, publisher and chief executive of Red Herring. “PriceMe should be proud of its accomplishment, as the
competition was very strong.”
