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Movings/Shakings: 15 July

OMD additions

OMD Auckland has added Penelope Burns as one of three newly-created client service directors. She joins from Mediacom, where she led a portfolio of accounts including BNZ, and she will head a team responsible for servicing Air New Zealand and McDonald’s, amongst others. 

There is a clear vision for where it [OMD] is heading, and with the breadth of specialist services they offer it’s a very exciting time to be here,” she says. 

Long-term senior client leads Chrissy Payne and Fay Laurenson join Burns as the other two client service directors. 

“Now more than ever, having the best talent is crucial for any agency looking to take a leadership position in the market, and Pen is definitely one of the most exciting talents around,” says Andrew Reinholds, OMD’s managing partner. “Pen’s passion combined with Chrissy and Fay’s experience gives us an incredibly powerful and complementary trio of client leads.”

OMD has also made another senior hire with Rachel Stewart joining as an account director within Laurenson’s portfolio, which includes Sky TV. She joins from sister agency PHD. 

OMD lost the Fonterra business to MediaCom a few months back, but won Fiat Chrysler and is also thought to have won the Smith’s City business in Wellington. 

New programmes

Juliet Peterson has taken on the newly expanded role of network programmer TV One and pay channels, which was previously two separate jobs.

Peterson has been with TVNZ since 2006 and before that she was in broadcast programming roles at TV3.

This change means John Wright is leaving TVNZ after seven and half years as the TV One programmer.

“He has made a terrific contribution to TV One’s success in recent years and he leaves with the channel on top,” says a TVNZ spokesperson.  

Next month Jeanneane McKay will start as the TV2 network programmer. She has over ten years’ experience in television and was previously the channel’s associate programmer. 

Netball meets travel

Silver Fern Maria Tutaia has taken up a role as ambassador for House of Travel and will bring to life the company’s How Kiwis See the World campaign through social media and her public appearances at events and in point of sale materials and promotions.

“From a marketing perspective Maria is a dream representative for us and epitomises the true Kiwi personality; warm, genuine, fun and engaging,” says House of Travel chief executive Mark O’Donnell. “Along with being a frequent international traveller, Maria is an early adopter of travel technology and has an ardent social media following, which we know is a key influence in the travel research and decision making process.”

O’Donnell says the announcement of Tutaia as brand ambassador is also in alignment with the locally owned travel agency’s sponsorship of New Zealand’s national netball team the Silver Ferns. 

“Apart from netball travel is one of my biggest passions and I’ve been lucky to see a great deal of the world due to my involvement with sport,” says Tutaia. “Getting the most out of international travel often involves drawing on the insights and experiences of others, I am looking forward to sharing my experiences and hopefully making travel more enjoyable for Kiwis. Along with tips and tricks I’ll be sharing my favourite shopping spots, eateries and must-see attractions from a truly unique Kiwi point of view.” 

Adobe’s new leader 

Adobe has appointed Chris Skelton as managing director for Australia and New Zealand. Skelton has been leading Adobe’s digital media business across Australia and New Zealand, Southeast Asia and Korea since 2012 and he will report to Paul Robson, president of the company’s Asia Pacific operations. 

“I’m excited to lead Adobe’s business in Australia and New Zealand,” says Skelton. “Adobe’s Creative Cloud and Marketing Cloud businesses are now world-leading and I look forward to working with our partners and customers as they embark on their own journeys of digital transformation with Adobe. Adobe has invested heavily in Australia and New Zealand over the past three years. We have doubled our staff numbers in that time, we’ve established a Centre of Excellence in Sydney to drive enterprise sales across Asia, and we’re also a pilot region to test new innovation for the company globally. I look forward to working with the team to continue to drive momentum across this important region.”

Before joining Adobe, Skelton was the regional director in Australia and New Zealand for Insight, one of the largest resellers of software and hardware globally. He has over 20 years’ experience working in senior positions for global organisations including Insight, SAP and Cisco Systems. 

Skelton will continue to be based in Adobe’s Sydney headquarters.

Lark adds to his portfolio

Wellington-based tech company Fronde has announced that brand expert and digital specialist Andy Lark has joined its board of directors.

Lark is the chief executive of Group Lark, a global consultancy based in Sydney that drives brand and digital transformation for the world’s leading enterprises. Before that he was the chief marketing and online officer at Commonwealth Bank of Australia and he is also the former vice president and general manager of large enterprise marketing and online at Dell and has led marketing teams at LogLogic, Sun Microsystems and Nortel Networks.

Fronde chairman Jon Mayson says that the company has increased director numbers in order for Lark to join as an independent director.

“We are very fortunate to appoint a director of Andy’s calibre to the board. He brings more than 20 years’ experience in technology, globalising sales and marketing, and driving the adoption of new technologies,” says Mayson. “Andy’s insights will be of enormous benefit to our business and will help Fronde to achieve its growth objectives. Lark brings first-hand knowledge of the Australian market, which is an added advantage given its importance following our acquisition of OnlineOne last year.”

Ian Clarke, Fronde chief executive, says Lark has already made a significant contribution to Fronde, through his role as strategic advisor.

“Both the IT sector and the way that clients access and use technology are changing rapidly. This represents an incredible opportunity and challenge for Fronde. Andy knows our business well and has a tremendous portfolio of experience, particularly in respect of the Cloud, which can help us to secure our services and brand in the leadership position we aspire to.

Lark was also recently appointed to the Board of Mighty River Power and SLI Systems.

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