Atomic 212° announces new chief executive officer
The national managing director of indie media agency Atomic 212°, Rory Heffernan, has been promoted to chief executive officer (CEO), following last week’s news that Claire Fenner will depart.
Joining the agency’s Sydney office as a search engine optimisation (SEO) analyst in October 2010 – making him the company’s first employee – Heffernan has filled the national managing director role for more than two and a half years.
Throughout his 14-year stint at Atomic 212°, Heffernan has held various managerial and leadership roles within Sydney and Melbourne, including general manager for Melbourne, head of digital and group account director, account director and more.
Heffernan described the opportunity to step into the CEO role as an “honour”.
“Thank you to Barry and James for what has been an incredible journey and experience to get to this point with Atomic 212°,” he said.
“I am very honoured to take on the CEO role and to lead this fantastic team into the future, building on the success and impact we have had within the industry to date.
“The past two years have been remarkable for our business, with significant growth in staff, billings and revenue.
“The refinement of our product across trading, data, performance and strategy has led to great results for clients old and new alike, and I’m incredibly proud of the internal development we’ve had for our people – from our leadership team to our industry-leading People & Culture program.
He continued: “Thank you to our amazing people and our supportive, collaborative clients for making us the business we are today.
“I look forward to working with you all to continue to grow our agency and capabilities, as I will continue to focus on innovation and how we best equip our clients and team into the future.”
Rory Heffernan
Heffernan’s appointment comes as a response to the news that his predecessor, Claire Fenner, officially resigned as Atomic 212°’s CEO, effective October 31. Fenner had joined the agency in April 2014 as its general manager after serving as the business director of Carat for just over one year.
“After an amazing 10 years at Atomic 212°, I’ve achieved so many goals and had so much success. I’m looking forward to having more time to focus on my family in my next adventure,” Fenner had said of her impending departure.
“It’s a decision that doesn’t come lightly, as I have come to consider many members of the Atomic 212° team family. We’ve had a phenomenal journey together and achieved unmatched success. I’m incredibly proud to be leaving Atomic 212° as the number one independent media agency.”
The company’s chairman, Barry O’Brien OAM, praised Heffernan when reflecting on the new CEO’s journey as an Atomic 212° employee.
“This is one of the better things I get to do: to proudly make this announcement as Chairman of Australia’s largest independent media agency,” O’Brien expressed.
“Good things come to those who wait and today is a wonderful moment for all of Atomic 212° – and a moment 14 years in the making. Rory was our first employee, and he has grown from the first day he walked into our company.
“He has played a key role in the growth and success of our clients, our people and our agency. It’s fantastic to see him step up into the CEO position and I know he is going to do a great job.
“Rory will take the reins seamlessly from the great work done by Claire Fenner to lead the team and the company into the future, having set the bar at the highest level for himself and the team with the extraordinary success we have enjoyed over the past few years.”
James Dixon’s, the media agency’s partner and chief data officer, also weighed in on Heffernan’s appointment, saying that there was no else who was better suited to, or deserving of, the role.
“Rory has been with us since the start and has made an invaluable contribution to the success of Atomic 212°. I can’t think of anyone better and more deserving of becoming our new CEO,” Dixon said.
Heffernan’s promotion has occurred during a year of business retentions and wins for Atomic 212°, with the agency officially working with notable brands, including Great Wall Motor, Bluescope, Bupa, and many more.
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Matthew is the editorial assistant at Mumbrella. He joined the company at the end of September 2023.
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