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Movings/Shakings: 19 March

Following Fraser’s lead

Daniel Robertson has followed in the footsteps of Liz Fraser by leaving Mi9NZ / MSN NZ Ltd to join Mediaworks in a move that sees him stepping into the role of group sales manager of national sales for Mediaworks TV.

Robertson, currently a commercial director at MSN, will replace Nicole Jones, who was last month appointed as general manager of national sales for MediaWorks TV.  

“MediaWorks has a fantastic reputation in market and is known for their innovation and forward thinking,” says Robertson. “With media businesses consolidating MediaWorks is perfectly positioned for the new world and when they come knocking – you say yes!”

Robertson has been at Mi9NZ / MSN NZ Ltd since 2007, initially starting as sales director. He has been commercial director for the company since 2012, managing the New Zealand operations, including msn.co.nz, Skype, Outlook.com, Bing, Microsoft Media Network and Microsoft Advertising Exchange. Prior to Mi9NZ / MSN, he was a senior account manager at Fairfax Media.

Robertson’s achievements include launching the Microsoft Media Network and Microsoft Advertising Exchange in the New Zealand market. He won NZ Media Brand of the Year in 2010 with MSN, and was a finalist in both 2011 and 2012. He was appointed to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) complaints board in 2011 as an industry representative, and is coming to the end of a term as chair of the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB).

John-Paul Randall, the vice chair of IAB New Zealand, has now stepped in to replace Robertson as he moves into his new position at MediaWorks.

At this stage, MSN has still not announced a replacement for Robertson, but the organisation is currently processing internal applications.  

Sayonara Sandy

Sandy Moore has announced his resignation from the role of president of CAANZ , which he has held for the past three-and-a-half years. 

“The awarding of the Lifetime Achievement Award at the recent Axis Awards function was a memorable conclusion to my working life in the advertising industry,” says the former chief executive of DDB Group. “I am honoured to receive such endorsement from my peers, and I thank all those responsible for making my career as rewarding and pleasurable as it could be. Now that I have retired from day-to-day involvement with DDB, the time also seems perfect to step down from our association” said Moore.

Moore has had three separate tenures on the CAANZ board across his career and was elected president in late 2010.

CAANZ chief executive Paul Head said Moore would be a loss to both the industry and the board.

“The board and I have very much appreciated Sandy’s wisdom and guidance during his tenure as president of CAANZ. He has fought tirelessly on behalf of members and he leaves the association in very good shape, at a time when a strong industry body is of critical importance. We wish Sandy all the best.” 

A new president will be appointed at the next CAANZ board meeting on August 16. 

Seven Sharp golden boy lands additional gig

Seven Sharp co-presenter and comedian Jesse Mulligan will also host the second season of local TV One comedy, Best Bits.

No stranger to comedy, Mulligan has spent a large part of his professional life as a stand-up comedian, writer and presenter, and is excited to take a look at the best and worst of New Zealand television on a weekly basis.

“As I’ve come to learn, watching and critiquing television is almost a national sport for New Zealanders. I’m very much looking forward to hosting Best Bits where, for half an hour a week, I can help dish it out as well as taking it,” said Mulligan.

This move sees Mulligan joining  panelists Vaughan Smith (former The Edge Drive show presenter) and Rhys Mathewson (7 Days) on the show. 

TVNZ says that Matt Heath (Radio Hauraki Breakfast show presenter), Guy Montgomery (U Live), up-and-coming comedienne Heidi O’Loughlin and Billy T Award-winner Nick Gibb will also be making guest appearances on the show.

The first episode of the new season of Best Bits screens on 27 March at 9.35pm on TV One.

MKR NZ judges announced

Award-winning chefs Ben Bayly (The Grove, Baduzzi) and Gareth Stewart (Soul Bar and Bistro) will host My Kitchen Rules NZ, which is set to run on TV One later this year.

Bayly, currently Head Chef at both The Grove and Baduzzi in Auckland, is renowned for his modern-style food using classic French cooking techniques. During his career, he has held senior chef roles at Michelin-starred restaurants in London and France.

Under his influence, The Grove holds the title of Supreme Winner of the Metro Audi Restaurant of the Year for 2010 & 2011. The restaurant was also a finalist in Cuisine Magazine’s Restaurant of the Year from 2004 – 2011 and the winner of Cuisine Best Metropolitan Restaurant 2012.

Stewart hails from the UK and has been the head chef of Soul Bar and Bistro for almost seven years. He has put his stamp on the food at Soul, which in 2009 was declared Cuisine’s Restaurant of the Year.

Stewart has featured on The Best of New Zealand, a show which focused on showing Kiwi men how easy it is to entertain guests and serve great food. 

“Ben and Gareth have been friends for years and their natural chemistry and camaraderie are bound to strike a chord with Kiwi audiences,” said TVNZ’s head of television Jeff Latch. “We’re thrilled to have two such talented chefs and personalities on board for MKR NZ.”

TVNZ has recently also invited prospective competitors to enter MKR NZ on a specially dedicated section of its website.

Tait handed general manager hat for The Briefing

There has also been in a shift in the Image Centre family, as it has been announced that Kerri Tait has taken on a new role as the general manager of The Briefing, a research and media product aimed at C-suite leaders of fast-growing companies.

Idealog and NZ Marketing publisher Vincent Heeringa says that the briefing is designed to assist chief executives of mid-sized businesses gain access to high quality thinking that currently isn’t accessible in the New Zealand market.

“The Briefing is particularly targeted at businesses that aren’t multi-nationals,” he says. “It’s about helping chief executives to understand the causes of disruption in business and then communicate this information to their staff members.”

“Many Kiwi companies don’t have the resources to send someone to the States to get a Harvard education, so The Briefing is about creating a platform where such information can be shared.”

Heeringa says that in her new position Tait will be be required to drive memberships and deliver key events throughout the year. 

Despite this shift in responsibilities, Heeringa added that Tait will remain actively involved with key accounts for Tangible’s business titles.    

PR wins an award-winning editor

The changes at Tangible Media aren’t only limited to Tait, as it has also been announced that Idealog editor Hazel Phillips has opted out of her role in favour of a PR position at Baldwin Boyle Group. 

Phillips – a vegetarian, avid diver and driver of a Subaru sedan – will see out the current issue of the magazine before taking up her new position.

In addition to working at Idealog for over two and half years, Phillips had a three-and-half-year stint at NBR as a journalist and also previously worked at ACP Magazines as a deputy chief sub-editor for Cleo

And Phillips’ literary contributions to New Zealand haven’t only been limited to magazines. Last year, she also authored Sell!, a book on the history of Kiwi advertising.

A replacement for Phillips has not yet been appointed.

Dipping toes into intelligent ink

Communications agency Intelligent Ink has announced the appointment of two recent graduates, which have been added to the team to increase the agency’s capacity for copywriting and PR support.

Marieke Esveld has joined the team in a PR and writing role after completing a Bachelor of Communication with a PR major at Unitec.  

The second recruit, Jenniger Waldron, who has just turned in her Masters thesis toward her English degree, joins the team as a copywriter.  

A release from Intelligent Ink says that the new employees are already working on the agency’s top accounts, including YMCA Auckland, YWCA Auckland, Hospice West Auckland and First Foundation, as well as assisting in the delivery of several content marketing publications for large retail clients.

Sports veteran recruited

LiveSport has signed veteran sportscaster Brendan Telfer to host a new daily show, 9-10am weekdays from Friday 21 March.

 “Brendan is one of New Zealand Radio’s most talented and respected sport broadcasters and is at the top of his game. His experience and knowledge and opinion is not only entertaining but invaluable – he’s a great addition to the LiveSPORT team,” said programme director Scott Walker in a release.

“Radio has always been very dear to my heart since my introduction to broadcasting on Christchurch station 3ZB … It’s a bit like golf; once it gets in to your DNA it’s there for life. Experience counts for a lot in broadcasting, and at the risk of sounding immodest I think years in the business have made me a wiser, more informed and better all-round sports broadcaster than at any time in my career,” said Telfer.

Telfer, who has been on air for 30 years, began his career in Christchurch on station 3ZB in 1973. Since then, he has spent 25 years covering sport for TVNZ and 15 years hosting the 9am-12noon show on Radio Sport.

AD2ONE adds one to the employee roll

Digital sales house AD2ONE recently announced the appointment of Chris von Batenburg as agency account manager, a role in which he will be required to work alongside sales manager Johanna Cotter on all aspects of client account management across the New Zealand market.

The addition of this newly created role reflects the expansion of AD2ONE’s activities in New Zealand. In 2013, it recorded 160% year-on-year growth as it added a number of leading brands, such as games giant Miniclip, LinkedIn, Nigella.com, Foodlovers.co.nz, the UK’s Daily Telegraph and E!Online to its portfolio of premium websites.

“The demand from New Zealand brands for premium advertising environments that enhance their brand reputation has never been stronger,” says von Batenburg. “I’m looking forward to helping drive further value for both AD2ONE and New Zealand’s leading advertisers across our portfolio.”

Prior to joining AD2ONE, von Batenburg was an account manager at VeNA (Video and Entertainment Network Asia) and an account coordinator at APN Outdoor. 

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