A leader moves on
The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB NZ) is looking for a part-time chief executive following the resignation of Alisa Higgins, who in July will become an industry consultant providing marketing and strategic advice to publishers, agencies and marketers.
“I’ve had so much fun in my role at IAB and have met some very clever and innovative people. We’ve seen massive growth over the last five years and I know IAB will continue to evolve to meet the challenges growth brings,” says Higgins. “My new role will allow to me to take everything the industry has taught me and help others grow their businesses. I want to thank the IAB board for all their support and ideas and to those who have taken the often difficult task of chair, thank you for taking my calls, brainstorming late in the evening and keeping the wine cabinet stocked.”
Acting IAB chairman John-Paul Randall said the organisation had grown from representing 40 members when Higgins joined as general manager in 2009 to become a broad industry body that represents 120-plus companies including major advertisers.
“I’m very disappointed that Alisa has resigned,” Randall said. “She has been a champion for the interactive media industry through a huge period of transformation. Interactive advertising was still emerging as a medium when she joined. Five years later it’s become New Zealand’s second largest medium by advertising spend.”
Alisa’s resignation has prompted a review and the IAB Board have elected to hire a part time chief executive to represent, promote, and grow the market.
Recruitment for a part-time chief executive will begin in the coming weeks.
Marketing Stiles
Following a successful haul at the Canon Awards, Fairfax has now announced a number of appointments in its marketing team.
As of last week, Fairfax Media, under the direction of Campbell Mitchell, is operating a single national marketing team allowing for easier collaboration and alignment right across the business.
This restructuring of the marketing team has resulted in the teams being reorganised around the core capabilities of insights, audience growth, customer solutions, communications, new product and brand, customer care and regional marketing.
It is still unclear who has been appointed to all these role, but Mitchell, who is currently in San Francisco, has been contacted in this regard.
The only appointment that StopPress can confirm at this stage is that of Jenny Stiles, currently the executive director of NewsWorks, who has accepted the the role of northern region marketing manager.
Stiles has been contacted to share her thoughts on the move, but she has not been available today.
Training the lions
Following the success of its academy programme, The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity has announced three new academies, bringing the total number of exclusive learning programmes to 10 and extending the reach of the initiative to all career levels: chief executives, chief marketing officers, creatives, young creatives, planners, media executives and students.
“With Cannes Lions as a backdrop, there is no better time or place for targeted learning opportunities,” says Steve Latham, the director of talent and training for Lions Festivals. “The world’s greatest industry minds are in one place, for one week, meaning these academies benefit not only from the world-class festival programme but also from unique targeted sessions and unrivalled networking opportunities. It’s an experience that couldn’t be had anywhere else.”
The three new academies to be introduced this year are the Chief Executive Academy (headed by Professor Jerry Wind), the Young Lions Storytelling Academy (headed by DDB Worldwide’s chairman emirtus Keith Reinhard) and the Young Planners Academy (headed by Previously Unavailable founder James Hurman).
A release from the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity provided the following information on each of the new courses:
Chief Executive Academy, sponsored by LinkedIn:
This new course aims to offer chief executives and other business leaders the unique chance to learn insights and guidelines for cultivating a creative organisation. The two-day programme will cover: how to create a creative organisation; how to deal with transformation driven by new markets; and learnings from innovations. Professor Jerry Wind of The Wharton School, a Lauder Professor in the marketing department and the director of the SEI Centre for Advanced Studies in Management, will deliver the programme along with a select group of chief creative officers, chief marketing officers and technologists.
Young Lions Storytelling Academy, sponsored by Starcom MediaVest:
This is a new intensive learning programme that focuses on the art and craft of storytelling and the positive impact it can have on brands. The academy will look at the ecosystem of brands and inspire Young Lions to understand how storytelling can develop and improve them while equipping them with the skills to share a brand’s story in the current media landscape. Keith Reinhard, Chairman Emeritus of DDB Worldwide Communications Group, Inc, will serve as academy dean.
Young Planners Academy:
The new Young Planners Academy focuses on the process of the creative brief, understanding how the planner can deliver value to all stakeholders in the creative process. The academy is the first planning school designed specifically to teach young agency planners how to uncover creative insight, plan creative strategy and form the kinds of relationships with creative people that consistently unlock more creative, more effective work. James Hurman, founder and principal of Previously Unavailable, will lead as academy dean with the help of course tutor, Teresa Alpert, director of Crimea River Ltd.
The ‘Mayor of Dunedin’ gets a co-pilot
More FM breakfast host and ‘un-official Mayor of Dunedin’, Damian Newell has a new co-host in Kellie Ashdown, who will join the popular local Breakfast show on 27 May.
Ashdown has worked at MediaWorks Auckland for the past 11 years as a freelance newsreader for More FM, RadioLive and The Sound, a traffic reporter across all MediaWorks’ Radio brands, and more recently as a weekend network announcer on More FM.
“This is a ‘bucket list’ tick for my radio career,” Ashdown says. “Not only to do Breakfast radio with someone as highly regarded as Damian, but to do it in a place as beautiful and dynamic as Dunedin is a dream come true – I can’t wait to get down there and get stuck in!”
Newell is equally enthused about Ashdown’s arrival, but he voiced a tongue-in-cheek caution to the new recruit.
“It’s always exciting to start something new and even more so when it’s something you love, [but] poor Kellie has no idea what she’s signed up for,” he said.
A duo gets conventional
Auckland’s growing conventions market has led to two new appointments at Auckland Conventions Venue and Events, the organisation which manages the Viaduct Events Centre, Aotea Centre, Auckland Town Hall, Auckland Art Gallery, Auckland Zoo, Mt Smart Stadium, Bruce Mason Centre and The Civic.
Andrea Breton has been appointed in the role of marketing manager, while Linda Holmes recently accepted a sales and event planner position.
Director of Auckland Conventions Venues and Events Mohamed Mansour says the appointments are a reflection of the organisation’s commitment to hiring the best people to promote Auckland’s best venues.
“Andrea [pictured here] and Linda bring great experience as well as new skills that will assist in the growth of Auckland as a premier convention city.”
Breton’s newly created position will sit alongside the four other managerial posts at the organisation, which is a division of the council-controlled Regional Facilities Auckland.
As well as extensive marketing experience, Breton brings an in-depth knowledge of the Auckland convention industry. She has worked since 2007 with the Auckland Conventions Bureau (ACB) – a not-for-profit division of Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development (ATEED). Breton’s time at ACB included a range of roles, from sales and marketing to project management and business development.
Breton will take up her new role on 19 May.
The other new recruit, Holmes (pictured below), joins a team of eight sales and event planning professionals and brings with her over nine years of sales experience, predominantly in the wine industry.
While she agrees that her extensive knowledge of the food and beverage sector meant a move to event planning was a logical step, it was a recent stint with Volunteer Projects Abroad working with children in Ghana that was the catalyst for a new direction.
“After returning from Ghana it really hit home just how amazing our city is, and it’s a great privilege to promote its best venues”, says Holmes, who started her new role on 22 April.
