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New appointments ahoy…

… as Designworks gets its hands on an experienced British interactive campaigner; 18 more PR practitioners stick an internationally-recognised certificate on their fridge; Dubsat New Zealand announces a new general manager; Young & Shand add a couple more digi-boffins to the roster; and a new job site for the creative industries in Australia and New Zealand goes live.

Designs on digital

British digital marketing expert Russell Douglas has been appointed as group head of interactive at Designworks.

Fresh from his position as managing director for a division of London-based digital agency World Archipelago (WAI), Douglas has spent more than 17 years in top creative agencies in the United Kingdom and worked with some of the UK’s top brands, such as Barclays, Dorling Kindersley, 02, Radisson Edwardian, Standard Chartered, Vodafone and British Airways.

He has also held a range of roles, including managing director, creative director, digital marketing consultant and client/partner.

Now working alongside Designworks’ heads of business strategy, creative strategy and design, Douglas describes himself as the glue that binds the disciplines in the online world.

“My job as a digital marketer is to make sure we connect people, brands and technology in a relevant way, with the emphasis on relevant. It’s got to work and deliver the results we’ve set out to achieve for our clients,” he says.

A CIM marketer for the majority of his career, Douglas’ work has been recognised with numerous judging positions in the UK and a host of industry awards, including first place in The Guardian’s CIPD Recruitment Marketing Awards for his work with British Airways, where he helped implement its website and a set of interactive recruitment challenges that resulted in savings of £10,000 per graduate and significant management savings due to the psychometric testing and self-selection aspects of the site.

Accreditation where accreditation is due

A further 18 public relations practitioners can now put the letters APR after their names, following the Public Relations Institute of New Zealand’s (PRINZ) accreditation programme for 2010.

Accreditation in Public Relations (APR) is an internationally-recognised qualification for PRINZ members with at least five years’ practical experience in the industry. Getting the certificate involves six months of intensive study whereby candidates must complete a number of written assignments and manage a major project. They also write case study solutions in an exam setting and are interviewed by a panel of senior practitioners to determine their level of skills and knowledge of the profession.

The successful candidates for 2010 are: Leah Evans (Wellington), Kathryn Farrow (Auckland), Lianne Fraser (Taupo), Alexandra Grenfell (Whakatane), Lee Harris (Christchurch), Amanda Healy (Christchurch), Andree Kai Fong (Wellington), Philip Langenhoven (Wellington), Jennifer Little (Auckland), Roger Matthews (Auckland), Anna McIntyre (Wellington), Rosemarie North (Wellington), Sneha Paul (Auckland), Gillian Thomas (Auckland), Serene Tng (Wellington), Jacquie Walters (Keri Keri), Rob Warner (Auckland) and Linda Willoughby (Waihi).

PRINZ National President Graeme Purches says APR is a mark of distinction and demonstrates commitment to the profession and to its ethical practice.

“For clients or employers, APR provides surety that our public relations professionals have the knowledge, skills and experience to provide sound advice and services. APR is a key component of PRINZ’s Continuing Professional Development programme, and as we continue to lead the industry on the road to professionalism in the truest sense of the word, APR will increasingly become a career-development must.”

Chief examiner Joseph Peart said the successful candidates “demonstrated broad knowledge, experience and competence in professional practice, bench marked against universal standards”.

PRINZ intends to work closer with human resources personnel and employers to raise awareness of APR when recruiting senior communications staff.

Dunn deal

Simon Spencer-Dunn, general manager Dubsat New Zealand and Grant Schuetrumpf, global chief executive Dubsat

Simon Spencer-Dunn has been appointed as the general manager of cross-media asset management and content distribution company Dubsat NZ.

Having worked with Dubsat NZ’s sister company AAV from 1985 to 2008, Spencer-Dunn has a wealth of experience in digital media management and distribution.

AAV was established in 1984, focusing on the duplication of home video product to the newly established rental and sell-through video markets. AAV then grew to be the largest video duplicator in New Zealand with international clients such as Fox, Columbia TriStar (Sony Pictures), Buena Vista, Roadshow Entertainment and other major labels.

The development of the corporate video market and the advancement to digital and DVD also saw AAV’s Digital Broadcast and New Media Department look after major accounts including the New Zealand Film Commission and New Zealand Tourism. AAV’s customer list also includes all major NZ broadcasters, post production houses, television production Houses, music companies, film companies, advertising agencies and many leading corporate institutions.

“The new Dubsat NZ structure will serve as a springboard for the company’s future growth plans which include launching The Substation, our captioning and DVD subtitling service; Tracksend, our browser-based digital media content distribution technology and growing Adsend [its global print advertising management and distribution service to magazine and newspaper publications]in the local market,” says Spencer-Dunn.

Bright Young Shands

Dan Phillips has joined digital agency Young & Shand as group account director from Saatchi & Saatchi, where he was the account director for DB Breweries brands Tui and Monteith’s. He has also worked on brands including the New Zealand Automobile Association, Sealord, the NZRU, KFC and Gen-i. He’s also the guy who appeared on New Zealand’s version of The Apprentice.

“We’re hoping we don’t have to fire him like Terry did,” they say.

Joanne North has also joined the agency as a digital marketing assistant. North is finishing her Bachelor of Business and Information Management degree from the University of Auckland and brings a blend of marketing and online skills. She has worked for social media sensation @Giapo and is a noted fashion blogger and commentator.

Adland

For all those with a hankering for something new, whether employees or employers, AdLand Jobs, a niche job board dedicated to the advertising and creative communications industry in Australia and New Zealand, has recently gone live.

The brain behind the operation is Kylie Green, founder and past chief executive of Photon-owned Kaleidoscope Marketing Communications.

“I understand AdLand because I have worked in the industry for most of my career and as an employer of talent I was frustrated with the few choices available for our industry to advertise and attract exceptional talent,” she says. “AdLand Jobs isn’t only a niche job board but also a source of reference for those working in the industry. The team who have put AdLand Jobs together with me have worked in creative roles, account service positions, administration and even senior management, so we are very confident in saying that we know the industry and its need for a niche, specialist job board.”

The Mad Men-inspired site is designed to be “a one-stop shop for the industry”, with plenty of resources including awards info, jobs specs, training and education info, industry news, topical features, in-depth interviews, links, trends and possibly a bit of gossip.

“I have my sights firmly fixed on AdLand Jobs becoming the number one site where agencies advertise their jobs, the first place job seekers go when they are looking to land a job in the advertising industry and a real online hub for resources and information.”

The first issue of MadLand, AdLand Jobs’ bi-monthly newsletter, features a candid chat with founding partner of Naked Communications, Adam Ferrier. And as part of the launch phase, AdLand Jobs is giving away two iPads to jobseekers who register on the site and advertisers that place an ad on the job board.

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