Zeno re-enters Australia through Acumen Republic acquisition with Myrna Van Pelt as GM
Social and digital agency Zeno, part of the Edelman group of PR agencies, has relaunched in Australia after more than a year outside the market.
Taking the helm of Zeno Australia is Myrna Van Pelt, the boss of the Sydney office of Acumen Republic, the New Zealand-based agency that Daniel J Edelman formally acquired six months ago.
She takes on the role of general manager of an agency with five full-time staff and clients including software accounting firm Sage Australia, Ansvar Insurance, Far East Hospitality, Bose and Motorola.
The Zeno brand withdrew from Australia in February 2013, when the firm lost key client BlackBerry to a global realignment.
Van Pelt told Mumbrella: “The agency was rebranded as Zeno on July 1. We wanted the business in Australia to build a strong foundation before we officially launched to market.“We’ve been quietly building the agency, transitioned core clients from Acumen, secured new ones, and are now ready to tell our story. We now have five full time staff, and looking to double our growth in the next 12 – 18 months.”
Van Pelt will report to Zeno’s regional head John Kerr.
Kerr said that what sets Zeno apart from its rivals is that social digital lies at the core of its offering. “This, coupled with Zeno’s challenger mindset and unique culture, frees us to deliver work that harnesses the new and interconnected content and media-centric world in which we live so that we can deliver measurable impact on our clients’ business,” he said in a press release.
“No doubt the attributes that have fuelled our growth in recent years – nimble and fast, fearless and relentless – coupled with the DJE imprimatur – will enable us to deliver fresh thinking to clients that is both inspirational and actionable,” he said.
Australia is the ninth market in Asia Pacific where Zeno has a presence, with a total of 110 staff. It has 22 offices globally.
Robin Hicks
Congrats guys!
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Ha! It is a global village of interconnections. Having worked with both quoted; I feel I’ve missed out on never learning what ‘imprimatur’ means. Please tell as a Google search just brings up sites to sites blocked by safe search.
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Congrats to Myrna Van Pelt, highly regarded by all who have worked with her over the years and a class act in Australian tech PR.
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