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Bastion Aotearoa strengthens creative bench following KFC win
Left: Sophie Douglas, middle: CCO Oli Green and Courtney Dow, right: Freddie von Trott.
Bastion Aotearoa has appointed three creative hires following its recent appointment as creative agency partner for KFC NZ.
Leading the charge is newly appointed creative director Courtney Dow.
Dow brings 17 years of experience across New Zealand and the UK, including VCCP, JWT and most recently DDB Aotearoa where he led creative on the New World account.
He has also contributed to multiple Agency of the Year titles and collected personal awards along the way. His obsession, as he puts it, is work that earns attention, drives real sales and puts brands in a position of strength.
Global expertise
Joining Dow are Freddie von Trott and Sophie Douglas (Doug), a copywriter and art director partnership arriving from AKQA Sydney.
Their experience spans global brands including Volvo, Google, Campari and Westfield, bringing international perspective and creative rigour to Bastion Aotearoa’s output.
Von Trott pairs a fine art background from ELAM with top-of-class copywriting credentials from Media Design School. Meanwhile, Doug brings an art director’s eye and an encyclopaedic instinct for the unexpected reference.
Strengthen creative ambition
Bastion Aotearoa CEO Toby Sellers says: “Winning KFC was a statement. These hires are us backing it. Courtney is one of the best creative leaders in this market, and Freddie and Doug are exactly the kind of talent we want shaping the next chapter of this agency. Our purpose is putting people, brands and organisations into a position of strength and that starts with having the right people ourselves.”
Chief creative officer Oli Green says the new hires further strengthen the agency’s creative ambition.
“We’re building a team that cares deeply about the work and the impact it has. Courtney, Freddie and Doug bring a rare mix of craft, curiosity and commercial instinct. They’re exactly the kind of people who push ideas further and make them matter in the real world, which is what Bastion Aotearoa is all about.”
