Initiative Australia names new CEO

IPG Mediabrands has named Jo McAlister as the new chief executive officer of its media agency, Initiative Australia.

McAlister’s appointment will see her succeed Melissa Fein, who departed Initiative earlier this year,  to head up a new media offering at Accenture Song, alongside Initiative’s former chief strategy and product officer, Chris Colter, and national managing director, Sam Greer.

While Mark Coad, CEO of IPG Mediabrands Australia, said he looked both locally and globally to find the agency’s next leader, McAlister’s pre-existing knowledge of Initiative, as well as her vision for its future, made her the right choice for the appointment.