Initiative Melbourne nabs new head of investment from Carat
IPG Mediabrands’ Initiative has named Steph O’Donnell as the media agency’s new head of investment for Melbourne.
It’s a newly created role, which will see O’Donnell will join Initiative’s Melbourne senior leadership team and report directly to chief partnerships and investment officer, Paige Wheaton.
O’Donnell steps across from dentsu’s Carat, where she spent nearly three years as group investment director in Melbourne. O’Donnell has previously held senior roles at Spark Foundry in both Sydney and Melbourne, as well as Match Media and Starcom.
Wheaton explained that O’Donnell’s appointment reflected the agency’s desire to hire talent that provide “a unique balance of technical investment capability coupled with a strategic mindset”, as the agency’s investment products evolve to meet market demand.
“Steph is already an established leader; the depth and breadth of her media partnerships are legendary and her passion and genuine desire to produce unique and best in class work sets us up for success in driving Initiative’s investment product into the future.”
She added: “Steph will be a critical partner to me and her strategic acumen and counsel will undoubtedly play a pivotal role on our senior leadership team.”
Wheaton herself joined the agency from GroupM’s Mindshare in April last year.
Of her appointment, O’Donnell commented: “I am thrilled to be joining Initiative Melbourne at such a transformative time. They are an ambitious team with a hunger to lead the market in product and processes and are poised to take advantage of Melbourne’s burgeoning market.
She continued: “Paige is well known in market for being at the peak of her craft and having the opportunity to work alongside her and MD, Sarah James is indeed an honour. I’m excited to develop Melbourne’s investment team and our product and at the same time elevating our media partnerships and producing outstanding client campaigns. It’s an exciting time to join the agency.”
The appointment follows a number of new wins for Initiative in 2023, with Fantastic Furniture, Priceline, Cricket Australia, and Sanitarium all last year joining the agency’s stable of clients.
Mumbrella has contacted dentsu for comment.
The appointment is effective immediately.
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