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.
“Jo is a highly regarded leader with a strong people-first leadership style, a track record of managing large clients in complex market categories and proven success in data and technology-driven media innovation and marketing,” Coad explained.
“She not only knows Initiative from the inside-out – its people, its culture and its clients – but she also has a strong vision for the agency’s future and is eager to set the agenda to drive the next era of Initiative. The agency has dug deep this year to solidify its positioning as the cultural experience agency, with award winning work client across multiple markets.
“Jo has driven the new direction which makes me even more delighted to see her take on this key role, and I look forward to working alongside her and building on Initiative’s longstanding success.”
McAlister has been with Initiative for over 5 years, first leading Rufus (Powered by Initiative) – a bespoke agency for Amazon – before moving into a role as Sydney MD in 2021.
Under her leadership, the Sydney team has won and retained a number of key clients including Sanitarium, Fantastic Furniture, Pernod Ricard, Goodman Fielder, Salesforce, and IAG.
Prior to Initiative, McAlister held a number of senior marketing roles from Foxtel, NBCUniversal Media, SBS, and Seven West Media.
“I am honoured to take on this important role and excited about what the future holds for Initiative, our incredibly talented team and our driven clients,” McAlister said.
“I have experienced first-hand the culture of innovation and collaboration that leads to exceptional client work, and I look forward to building on that with my colleagues, collaborating with our many industry partners, and driving significant outcomes for our loyal clients. With my previous client experience I know how to think like a client which underpins my approach and leadership style.
“I would also like to acknowledge Initiative’s previous leadership team whom I collaborated closely with for nearly five years, they have left a strong and solid foundation for me to build a new era for the agency. I cannot wait to get started as I am bursting with ideas and new initiatives.”
Coad concluded: “As an agency Initiative often says to its team that they will do the best work of their career at Initiative, and as a result their career will flourish; this mantra has proven true for Jo.”
An expanded leadership team will be announced in due course.
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