MATES Agency, the Auckland and Christchurch-based full service brand strategy and design agency, has reshaped its leadership team, internally promoting Holly Speer to Co-General Manager, a role she shares with Amber Ritchie who joins MATES from PR agency, DRUM.
MATES founder Mimi Gilmour, the ex-advertising-exec-turned-entrepreneur behind several hospitality businesses including Burger Burger, will continue as Creative Director, while also focusing on her soon-to-launch business, IAMMI.
Formerly the marketing manager of Burger Burger, Speer has been with MATES since its founding in 2019 and has been instrumental in growing it from a three-person business with two clients to a thriving agency working across both Auckland and Christchurch. Speer is set to take maternity leave in the coming weeks, tapping into MATES’ supportive parenting policy as she welcomes her first baby.
“The last two years have been rather large but 2022 is shaping up to be the most epic year yet,” Speer says.
“I feel incredibly supported by Mimi, Amber and the MATES team as I take these big steps in both my career and personal life. I know Amber will do an awesome job while I’m on maternity leave, and I can’t wait to work alongside her on my return.”
Ritchie is a PR specialist with a deep background in the local industry, having spent over a decade working across Britomart Hospitality (where she first met Mimi), Mango and DRUM.
“I’m pumped to join an innovative agency like MATES, which has an amazing roster of clients and an exceptionally creative and clever team. I’m passionate about continuing the exponential growth Holly and Mimi have driven and can’t wait to see what 2022 brings us.”
The agency’s clients include Sidehustle, Pita Pit, Sudima, Studio Box, Burger Burger, Sawmill Brewery, Precinct Properties and others.
