fbpx

Movings/Shakings: 29 April

Two jobs, one man

Independent agency Blackfoot has appointed Dale Spencer, the founder of Media360, as its media director, a move which will saw the experienced media man return to New Zealand from Melbourne to take up his new role on 28 April. 

“The role is an exciting challenge for me.  They are a great indie agency that I believe will go far and I’m looking forward to working with Scott, Emma and the team there to help them reach their business goals,” says Spencer.

“I am very much an ‘indie’ person rather than corporate. Blackfoot believes in developing strong relationships and is a business based in research, science and negotiation – and the belief that the work process must be fun.”

Blackfoot recently added a PR function so it can offer a collective approach for clients and deliver a full service, from rationale and strategy through to creative and multi-discipline implementation. This includes creative, production, digital, account management, media planning/buying and PR and marketing.

“With the agility of a small, hand-picked team, we can treat each job holistically to find the best way for our clients to build an affinity with their customers,” says Blackfoot managing director Scott Weatherley. 

Spencer, a three-time Effie winner and Cannes media judge, was media manager for FCB in the ’90s, and spent eight years as general manager of Y&R’s Media Edge before launching Media360 in 2003.

The announcement of Spencer’s new role at Blackfoot comes off the back of news that he has been appointed the managing director of Intermedia New Zealand, which is currently in the process of releasing two new B2B titles in the Kiwi market.

Despite taking on the role at Blackfoot, Spencer says that his obligations with Intermedia remain unchanged. 

“I will still be maintaining my role as MD for The Intermedia Group NZ, launching the two new magazines and helping to build that business for the future,” he says. 

A recent email leaked to StopPress revealed that the Intermedia Group was facing legal action from the MediaWeb receivers, who claim that the release of the two new publications constitute a breach of MediaWeb’s intellectual property rights. 

“The Intermedia Group NZ has, through its lawyers, rejected the receivers’ claim of breaching Mediaweb’s intellectual property rights,” says Spencer.

He says that since rejecting these assertions, Intermedia NZ has received no further settlement claim on the IP issues, which means that his team is still focused on entering the market. 

“My career goal at this stage is to enjoy working with great people to help build businesses, both of these opportunities enable me to do this within my overall hours each week,” he says.

The digital arm grows

Colenso BBDO has increased its digital offering by appointing Tim Freeman as digital executive producer.

Originally from Wellington, Freeman has been working abroad in the digital space since 2007, most recently at AKQA London.

During his time at AKQA he delivered work for Nike Global, Western Europe and Japan, and served a brief secondment to Nike as a digital consultant. He also supported the newly established Paris and Tokyo offices with project planning and delivery, and mentored local delivery leads.

Prior to AKQA, he was head of production for Skive, an independent digital creative agency, where he was accountable for the planning and delivery of all client work, especially on Skive’s key accounts of Carlsberg, Nestle and Vauxhall.

Freeman has attributed his decision to join Colenso to the quality of work the agency produces.

“The team at Colenso seem to have the ability to create and produce some amazing work, I can’t wait to get stuck in and help deliver more of those engaging experiences in the digital space,” he says.

In his new role, Freeman will work closely with Colenso’s digital business director Greg Forsyth, who believes the new recruit’s skill set is perfectly suited to the agency. 

“Tim represents one of the last pieces of the puzzle in terms of the overhaul of our capability so we’re pretty excited about hiring him. The nature of digital is evolving quickly and to have someone with more mature market experience join us is pivotal for what we do next. We are constantly pushing digital where it hasn’t been before and I know Tim will love the challenge,” says Forsyth.

From Russia with maths

MediaWorks has appointed Inna Goikhman director of research and analytics, a role newly created to further enhance the broadcaster’s insights into the market.

“As well as providing customer and consumer insights, Inna is responsible for bringing increased analytics to our business, with a focus on inventory and content management that will benefit viewers and clients,” says MediaWorks TV chief executive Paul Maher. 

Goikhman’s arrival at MediaWorks follows the departure of Rachel Cormack, who previously held the role of director of research and insight.  

MediaWorks Spokesperson Rachel Lorimer says that the new position is quite different from the previous role, and adds that Cormack continues to work for MediaWorks on a project basis.     

Goikhman has extensive experience in the media industry, having developed and led operations for Accenture Media Auditing (Asia Pacific) and most recently Media Pilot (Media Auditors) in Australia and New Zealand. And Maher believes that this experience will set her in good stead for her new role.

“Inna is a great addition to MediaWorks TV. She brings a real understanding of the media market, and how to best leverage our unique content relationship to find solutions for our customers,” hes says.  

In addition to her experience in the media market, she also holds a Masters in Applied Mathematics, which she attained at Moscow University. 

A new star to lead them

Wellington-based creative agency First Star Communications has made Aaron White its new chief executive in a move that sees him replacing Adam Blackwell, who continues to remain with the agency in an ownership capacity. 

“I am very excited about this opportunity. First Star has a history of producing innovative solutions for clients that has only accelerated as we continue to explore intersections between strategy, creativity and technology. Whether it’s digital activation at a retail level, mobile-based loyalty initiatives, or helping organisations tell their stories, we challenge the norm,” said White.

Before joining First Star, White served as general manager for AIM Proximity, M&C Saatchi and Ogilvy & Mather New Zealand. After spending the last eight years at larger agencies, White wanted to join a smaller team.

“The absence of ‘layers’ means we are very agile and can get closer to our clients and their businesses. I appreciate that we’re in a position to listen to our clients in a refreshingly novel way. We don’t need to get ‘permission’ to do something. We’re free to innovate. Many clients are brave. We must be, too,” says White.

From rugby to labels

Matthew Pert has been appointed a business development manager at Adhesif Labels, a role in which he will be required to develop business in the greater Auckland area as well as the South Island.

Adhesif Labels Limited, a company that specialises in providing local and international companies with labelling provisions, was established in New Zealand in 1981, and today employs more than one hundred and twenty people across at its Sydney and Auckland offices. 

This move brings an end to Pert’s second stint at Image Centre. In total, he spent seven years at the company, initially joining in 2002 as brand manager on NZ Rugby World, before leaving in 2005 to join ACP as a sales account manager. After working at ACP from late 2005 to 2010, he returned to the Image Centre fold as a Sales Director at Tangible Media before leaving as an associate publisher in 2014.

“I wish the brand luck and am sure there will be great opportunities 15 months out from the 2015 Rugby World Cup,” said Pert of moving on from NZ Rugby World.   

Grabbing another one

Following in the footsteps of Campbell Brown and Vaughan Magnusson, GrabOne insights executive David Powell has now also crossed the Rubicon by joining Online Republic.

 

“[As an insights executive], Powell will be responsible for providing key insights to help the business optimise each lever that affects Online Republic’s goals, from price strategies, cost strategies, market share, and market size,” says a spokesperson from Online Republic.

Given that Powell has spent his entire career in the digital sphere (at Ferrit, Yellow NZ and GrabOne), this new role will see him further building onto the skills he has thus far acquired.

Interestingly, Powell and Brown previously also worked together at Yellow NZ. 

About Author

Avatar photo

One of the talented StopPress Team of Content Producers made this post happen.

Comments are closed.