Former Ikon boss David Gerrie takes up CEO role at Born Creators Group
Former chief operating officer of Essence (previously Ikon Communications and AKQA Media), David Gerrie, has joined digital and communications agency, Born Creators Group as its CEO, Mumbrella can reveal.
Gerrie joined Ikon Communications in 2010 as its finance director, before eventually being appointed as its de facto national boss in 2015, in a bid to unite its offices.
With a merger between GroupM agencies Essence and Mediacom on the cards this month, Gerrie’s position was made redundant following a duplication of the agency’s finance function.
With Theo Zisoglou also leaving to join Thump Media as its general manager, shortly after being appointed as Essence’s chief media officer in February, it is understood there are no further redundancies are planned in the agency.
Ikon Communications was originally merged into AKQA Media in 2021, before AKQA Media was merged into Essence the same year. Gerrie was brought onto the latter’s leadership team with the same remits.
On his appointment, Gerrie told Mumbrella: “I am excited to be joining an independent agency in Born Creators Group and focusing on building its four unique agencies in collaboration with Rony and the dynamic BCG team.
“My objective is to drive a strong agency culture that inspires our team every day and to deliver purposeful and exceptional outcomes to existing and new clients.”
Founder of Born Creators Group, Rony Chiha, who is now in the executive chairman role, said: “David’s appointment as CEO is an integral component of strategically growing our business in 2023.
“We will tap into his deep agency experience and proven track record to scale up our business and deliver a competitive edge to the market and to our valued clients.”
GroupM did not provide any official comment when contacted.
Born Creators Group is an agency headquartered in Sydney. Its companies include Adcreators (creative and marketing), Endspace (software development), Events Unlimited (corporate events) and Word Up (content and copywriting).
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Darcy Song was a reporter at Mumbrella, covering media owners, adtech and social platforms. She left in October 2023.
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