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Darkhorse welcomes Trade Me and DHL and appoints two new business directors
Lucinda East Kennedy and Mandy Wiles.
Darkhorse has added Trade Me and DHL to its client roster and appointed Lucinda East Kennedy and Mandy Wiles as business directors.
The new partnerships and senior hires signal continued growth for Darkhorse across New Zealand, Australia and Singapore.
Know how to connect with Kiwis
For Trade Me, Darkhorse has been engaged to deliver across brand communications, including content, PR, social and influencer.
Recent work includes creative content for the marketplace’s safe and secure payment system Ping, as well as social strategy for the brand’s current ‘Goodbye things’ campaign.
“Darkhorse impressed us with their sharp creativity, strategic strength and relentless pursuit of results,” says Millie Silvester, senior communications and content manager at Trade Me.
“They bring a uniquely integrated approach, deep experience, a genuinely positive, can-do attitude and, importantly, know how to connect with Kiwi audiences in a way that feels distinctly Trade Me.”
Support the growth
Meanwhile, Darkhorse has been appointed on retainer by DHL to manage PR and crisis communications, strengthening the logistics giant’s brand presence and ensuring a consistent, strategic voice across corporate and consumer communications.
To support the agency’s continued growth, Darkhorse has appointed Lucinda East Kennedy and welcomed back Mandy Wiles as business directors.
East Kennedy will lead the agency’s brand communications offering, while Wiles will oversee brand experience, with the two teams frequently collaborating on integrated campaigns.
An exciting era
East Kennedy joins the stables with 20 years’ of experience working across media and communications in New Zealand and abroad.
In the last decade, she’s had her eponymous agency East acquired by Thrive PR + Communications, launched and ran the New Zealand arm of Thrive, become an agency advisor and co-founded a beauty technology brand.
Wiles returns to Darkhorse following a three year stint in the UK working across major luxury brands, bringing expertise in international project and event management, client relationships, creative execution and live brand experiences for iconic names, including Prada, Calvin Klein, Vogue and Burberry.
Darkhorse managing director Francesca Kelly says: “Winning Trade Me and DHL, bringing Lucinda into the business and welcoming Mandy home marks an exciting era for Darkhorse.
“Trade Me and DHL are both culture-shaping brands that lead from the front, while Lucinda and Mandy are both industry leaders with a genuine passion for the type of work Darkhorse is proud to produce. It’s fitting that it’s the Year of the Horse because from our clients to our team, our stables have never been stronger.”
