Initiative signals it is preparing to relaunch its market position as it unveils new hires
IPG Mediabrands’ media agency Initiative has revealed that it is “finalising a new positioning in the market”.
The agency made the revelation as it announced three new members of its executive team, including yet another member of staff moving across from sister agency Ensemble.
Initiative’s new management lineup – From left: Nick Wokes, Andrew Cambridge, Marcelle Gomez, Ian Smith.
The latest to move across is Ensemble’s commercial director Ian Smith, who has become head of partnerships. Smith, who has previously worked for both Nine and Ten, will take charge of the agency’s partnership portfolios including investment, content, activations and sport, Initiative said.
Earlier this month, Michael Stanford switched from MD at Ensemble to the newly-created role of chief creative solutions officer at Initiative. The move came just eight months after he was appointed to the MD role at Ensemble – and two months after Melissa Fein switched from CEO of Ensemble to CEO of Initiative.
It is also less than a year since Ensemble founder and CEO Justin Ricketts, and MD Tim Hodgson, were ousted to make way for Fein.
The statement also revealed that Nine Entertainment Company digital lead Andrew Cambridge has joined as head of digital, Sydney. It said “he brings expansive commercial, digital and leadership experience to partner with the agency’s strategy, creative, activation and investment leads in the development of unique communications platforms for clients”.
Nick Wokes also joins Initiative as a new client group director. He has more than 13 years’ media experience with MediaCom, Match and Drifter in Sydney and with Zenith in New York, where he led media strategy for clients including IKEA, Maserati, Toshiba and JP Morgan Chase, according to Initiative’s statement. Wokes becomes the third group director at Initiative Sydney alongside Damien Terakes and Robbie Aoukar.
Initiative said managing director Marcelle Gomez had now completed the management team: “Cambridge, Smith and Wokes’ appointments complete the Initiative Sydney management team reporting to Gomez, which also includes communications design director John Dawson. Initiative Australia, which also has offices in Melbourne and Perth, is currently finalising a new positioning in the market under new national CEO Melissa Fein.”
topics
Andrew Cambridge
Damien Terakes
Ensemble
Ian Smith
Initiative
Justin Ricketts
Media
Melissa Fein
Michael Stanford
Nick Wokes
Robbie Aoukar
Tim Hodgson
Cracking hires!
Initiative are beginning to look like the real deal. Excited to see what’s in store for 2017 and beyond!
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