Moving on
Māori Television chief executive Paora Maxwell has resigned just three years into his five-year contract.
Maxwell made the announcement at a hui at Māori Television to ensure staff heard it from him.
He said it was a difficult decision but changing family and business circumstances led to the need to dedicate his time to other commitments.
Chairman of the Māori Television Board Georgina te Heuheu acknowledged the resignation by thanking Maxwell for his work and commitment to the broadcaster.
Maxwell will remain CEO until the end of August before stepping into a consultation role.
The board will begin the process of recruiting a chief executive and editor-in-chief later in the year.
Taking over the world
New Zealand-based creative digital agency Resn has announced the launch of its newest office in Shanghai.
It’s the fourth international branch for Resn, following Wellington, Amsterdam and San Francisco.
Shortly after the announcement, a Beijing official said: “We are gratified this lengthy diplomatic process has come to fruition at last. China has much to offer and we look forward to working with Resn. This is the beginning of a historic era.”
Singapore had been picked as a favourite for the fourth branch, however, a Resn spokesperson said Shanghai will be an exciting new chapter in the agency’s story.
“We are one step closer to our twin goals of global domination and ultimate downfall. We can’t wait.”
Double Dentsu moves
Amplifi New Zealand has announced the appointment of Anna Lawson as trading manager, based in Auckland.
Lawson brings with her more than 20 years of experience in media and sales, having worked for well-known media brands such as TVNZ, and ITV and MediaCom in London. Most recently, she was at 
Dynamo, where she was responsible for all offline implementation across Spark, Skinny, Lightbox and BMW.
In her new role, she will be responsible for all aspects of trading for the Dentsu Aegis Network and delivering superior performance for clients and agency partners.
The appointment follows the launch of Amplifi New Zealand in January this year under the leadership of Richard Pook as Head of Amplifi New Zealand.
Speaking of Lawson’s appointment Pook said: “I’m thrilled to have Anna joining the Amplifi team at an exciting time for Dentsu Aegis Network. Anna has a wealth of buying knowledge and experience which will prove invaluable as we build out our offline trading and investment management capabilities here in New Zealand.”
In other Dentsu Aegis Network news, Carat New Zealand has recruited two group business directors from the worlds of both advertising and media.
Amy Dufty and Lee Griffiths
Amy Dufty has crossed over from creative and client side, bringing with her over 20 years’ experience with some of the industry’s biggest names, including Saatchi & Saatchi, Y&R and Ogilvy & Mather. She joins the agency from her most recent role at Genesis Energy New Zealand.
Meanwhile, Lee Griffiths brings 20 years’ experience in media planning, most recently at FCB Media where she was associate media director, and prior to that at MEC/Y&R Media as a business director.
About the hires, general manager Alex Lawson said: “Aligning the right people with the right clients is crucial to our mutual success. I’m excited to bring in this level of diverse talent and see them get stuck in. Amy and Lee represent two incredibly well-respected figures from dramatically different backgrounds. Both will play key roles for their clients and Carat in the years to come.”
Family calls
Sky TV’s Kirsty Way has resigned from her role as director of corporate communications to take up a communications advisory role.
About the move she said: “My goal is to have more time for my family and busy kids for a while.”
A chemical boost
Direct-digital agency Chemistry Interaction has hired ex-BBC producer Vikesh Patel as content director and Lindsay Bryson, ex-Taxi Canada as senior account director to meet growing needs from clients.
Patel, who has spent over 12 years in the content creation space, worked for the BBC producing national breakfast shows, including the flagship show on the BBC’s Asian Network and specialist music shows and content for Radio 1, 1Xtra and 6 Music.
On moving to New Zealand, he joined Mediaworks as senior content producer, where he sourced and created content across all Mediaworks’ brands, including The Block NZ and The Bachelor. He was responsible for bringing Craig David’s TS5 show to George FM, and also created exclusive content for WWE, Sony, Warner and Universal artists like Fifth Harmony, Twenty One Pilots, Parson James and Kings.
He says: “Chemistry is one of the few New Zealand agencies that truly understand the essence and potential in content marketing. I wanted to work for a business that sees the value in content-driven ideas and has the talent and skill to bring those ideas to life. Creating smart content strategies to attract and engage audiences is a fast-growing part of the media mix, and I’m looking forward to applying my knowledge across Chemistry’s client base. The agency has already achieved some serious accolades and it’s a fantastic time to be joining.”
Adding a touch of Canadian diplomacy to Patel’s British wit is senior account director Lindsay Bryson, who joins from Taxi Canada, where she was responsible for businesses as diverse as SaskTel, The Co-operators, MS Society of Canada and DirectWest.
Bryson, who brings 15 years of experience to the role, says she chose Chemistry because she wanted to work for a progressive company.
“Culture is really important to me and Chemistry has one that is second to none. The team is always looking for new and engaging ways of achieving results for our clients, which is really exciting to be a part of. I hope to continue to help Chemistry grow and continue to do world class work.”
Chemistry director Mark Larmer welcomed the pair to the team.
“Vikesh and Lindsay are some of the best in the world at what they do,” Larmer says.
“Being able to bring people with their skills and expertise on board is testament to how far the agency’s come and where we’re moving to next. Content marketing is more than just a buzzword for us: it’s a genuine opportunity to help our clients solve business problems, and their skills will help us engage directly with customers.”
These sentiments are mirrored by Chemistry’s other director Joseph Silk, who says: “‘As our business needs increase, we need the right people alongside us, and we’re chuffed to have people of such calibre join the team.”
A pair of boomerangs and a newbie
Communications agency Mango has welcomed back two senior practitioners to its fold.
Jessica McColl, head of events and experiential, and Gemma Knights (nee Doughty), senior account director, have rejoined the agency after a number of years working overseas and with other agencies.
McColl’s portfolio of work includes the H&M store opening at Sylvia Park last year and Nespresso’s Queen Street Boutique launch, while under contract at Mango, as well as 2degrees’ Play the Bridge’. Previously, she spent eight years at Mango before taking maternity leave. She is excited to be reunited with some of her colleagues and familiar brands.
Knights has 12-plus years’ experience in PR and events in New Zealand, Australia and the United Kingdom, and her work on Jetstar’s regional launch last year won a PRINZ award in integrated marketing PR. She rejoins Mango after an eight-year gap and leads an integrated team on McDonald’s, Fonterra Brands, Vocus Group and Bay of Islands Marketing Group.
New to Mango is Account Executive Charlotte Caines, who joins from lifestyle PR agencies in the UK.
Additionally, two of the existing team have been promoted – Max Burt and Marissa Kirkham have both become senior account managers.
Mango managing director Claudia Macdonald says: “The return of Jess and Gemma, the addition of new blood and the promotion of two stars has put Mango in a great place as we head into the second half of the year.
“It is fantastic to have experienced hands back leading teams – everyone has benefitted from their knowledge and skill. I’m also thrilled to be able to promote from within two very good consultant,” adds Macdonald.
Diving in
The Pond has just welcomed a new senior talent agent to the team: Will Gregory.
Gregory began his professional life as a graphic designer but came to realise, as an account manager, that he had a real talent for bringing people together, getting the best out of clients, and making creative stuff happen.
“I have a contagious energy that gives me the power to excite people, find out what motivates them, and get them to buy into a new concept or now, a new role,” he says. “It was that realisation that prompted me to hang up the boots in advertising and make my foray into recruitment I’m looking forward to applying that energy towards building new relationships between clients and our represented talent, developing new lines of business, and contributing to growth in the creative and digital sector.”
Gregory joins The Pond from a key account management role at Studio Alexander, where he handled accounts ranging from the British Council to Downer Construction. Prior to that he successfully handled the marketing communications for key accounts like AIG, Coca Cola Amatil, DB Breweries, Yates and Harcourts.
Better together
Accenture has acquired the creative agency The Monkeys and design business Maud.
The Monkeys is a Sydney-based independent creative advertising agency, renowned for its brand strategy and creative talent.
Maud is a Sydney and Melbourne based design business that develops systematic design solutions across a variety of industries.
Accenture’s move to acquire them strengthens the customer experience capabilities of Accenture Interactive and demonstrates Accenture’s continuing investment in bringing new thinking, talent and innovation to clients across Australia and New Zealand.
The Monkeys and Maud staff joining Accenture Interactive
Head of Accenture Interactive Brian Whipple said customer experience is the new battleground and this acquisition will enable Accenture Interactive to integrate creative excellence with digital customer experience delivery.
“Together, we’re bringing our unique model to the market: part creative agency, part business consultancy, and part technology powerhouse – all focused on creating the best customer experiences on the planet.”
The Monkeys’ Mark Green (chief executive officer), Justin Drape (chief creative officer), Scott Nowell (chief creative officer) and Maud’s David Park (chief creative officer) will continue in their current roles and take on additional Accenture Interactive leadership positions to drive brand strategy and creativity in Australia and New Zealand.
Green said it looks forward to offering clients an unrivaled and holistic customer experience offering.
“The combination of Accenture Interactive, The Monkeys and Maud is a great opportunity for our clients and teams as it will dramatically enhance our ability to connect brand strategy and creative all the way through to customer experience delivery,” he said.
A new recruit
Onfire Design has a new creative director in Matt Grantham.
Joining from Coats Design, Grantham brings with him 18 years of experience, which includes working on some of New Zealand and the UK’s biggest consumer brands.
Managing director Sam Allan said Grantham is one of the leading designers, which can be seen in his brand and packaging work for Hubbards, Genesis Energy and Michael Hill, among many others.
This appointment further strengthens the agency’s brand and packaging credentials since it joined forces with Grant Alexander in 2016, said Allan.
Grantham added there’s great synergy with the Onfire team.
“In fact, like me, Sammo once worked alongside Rob Coats, so the two companies have much in common,” he said.
Musical chairs at 95bFM
Mikey Havoc has returned to the bFM studios as Breakfast host, his third stint in the role having cut his teeth at the Auckland radio station in the mid-1990s.
Described by the station as a “renegade host”, the job of wrangling him falls to his producer Sarah Thomson, whose background as a writer (Pop Up Workshop), Music Director (Alt TV) and host of Saturday afternoons on bFM make her uniquely suited to run a radio show that relies on improvisation for its mischief.
Out of the studio, there’s also two new faces, with Kathleen Gunther and Hannah-Rose Hollins stepping in.
Gunther has been appointed to the role of sales and marketing manager. She was previously the agency lead of Airwave, an Omnicom Media brand powered by Amobee.
Hollins, an AUT Communications graduate, joins the account service. She has been recruited from a role coordinating marketing at The Auckland Performing Arts Centre (TAPAC) to focus on key agency clients.
Signing on
The Sweet Shop has a new director, with Jeff Labbe signing on for representation in Asia, Australia and New Zealand.
Labbe started his career as an agency creative on the west coast of America, working with Wieden + Kennedy, Leo Burnett and TBWA/Chiat/Day.
In his first year as a director, his Levis ’Secrets and Lies’ and Benandos ‘Break The Cycle’ for BBH work won him multiple Gold Lions at Cannes, Pencils at D&AD, British Arrows, APA Crystals as well as many others.
He uses immersive narrative and depth of story and character in his work, which can be seen in campaigns for Adidas, Boots, Volkswagen, Heinz, KFC and HSBC
Labbe reel can be watched here.
