Get the latest direct to your inbox twice a week. Sign up today. 
Tracta welcomes strategist Guy Vasey as partner
Guy Vasey, a seasoned business and brand strategist, has joined Tracta as a partner, strengthening its position as the top agribusiness growth agency in Australasia.
Twelve months after taking over Napier-based agency Tracta, partners Kurt Sandtmann and Ian Howard have announced the expansion of the company’s growth capabilities with the appointment of former Designworks executive, Guy Vasey, as a partner.
Vasey is one of New Zealand’s leading brand and business design thinkers with 25 years’ experience creating brands, building businesses and championing strategic creativity to create new value for clients and their customers. His experience includes founding a number of creative agencies and technology businesses, and leading major brand and transformation programmes for clients across Australia and New Zealand. His arrival is part of a wider strategic shift for the agri-specific agency.
Kurt Sandtmann says since he and Howard took over the business they have had a goal to transform the agency into growth for their clients.
“Advertising and production will continue to be a big part of what we do, but we’ve really put the focus on building best-in-class strategic capability to ensure we’re able to help clients address the big problems the sector is facing. We’ve made great strides in that space and Guy will only help accelerate our progress. I couldn’t be happier to have him on board as a partner.”
Ian Howard says Vasey brings with him insight and expertise which adds huge value to the agency and to their clients.
“He was excited by our vision and it was an no-brainer to find a way of getting him involved. He adds a powerful new dimension to our strategic capability and partnership. The future’s looking strong for Tracta and our clients.”
Vasey says he has always admired Tracta’s specialist positioning.
“The strategic ambition Kurt and Ian presented was sharp and compelling, because it’s focused on meeting the business needs of clients in the rapidly changing primary sector. The three of us have a natural alignment around the value we want to create for clients, utilising our collective expertise across business, customer, digital and comms strategy, and delivering outcomes that make a difference.”
Sandtmann will continue to lead and manage the agency, with Howard and Vasey operating as strategic leads.
“In the past year the market has responded positively to our enhanced offering,” Sandman says. “Our positioning as an agri-growth agency is a response to the significant challenges agri brands are facing. It’s about building the capability to solve business and brand problems for the future and ensuring we hold ourselves accountable to creating real value for the clients we work with. We’ve restructured the team around a more cohesive offering and we’re lucky to have a hugely capable team who all share a passion for the sector. 2023 is already proving to be a very busy and exciting year.”
Since Sandtmann and Howard took control of Tracta it’s been on a roll, forming new partnerships with landmark brands such as Rabobank, Rivulis, Silver Fern Farms, CNH Industrial, Suzuki Motorcycles, Nedap, Elanco, NZ Cashmere, Cropmark, Ravensdown Ventures and Coprice Australasia.
