Innocean makes senior hires ahead of new business push
From left: James Welch, Amanda Wheeler, Kevin Choi, Scott Lambert, Jo Gilbert
Innocean Australia – best known for handling the Hyundai and Kia brands – has hired new senior staff in a move that signals its intentions to expand beyond being seen as the inhouse agency for the car brands.
The company has hired James Welch as new business director and Jo Gilbert as events and sponsorship director. It follows the hiring of creative director Scott Lambert from Draft FCB in October.
Welch was previously at Oddfellows while Gilbert was most recently business director at Tribe Marketing and before that at Ogilvy Action and STW’s Fudge Group.
Innocean GM Amanda Wheeler, told the Mumbrellacast: “It’s a common misconception but we see ourself as anything but an inhouse agency. We’re ready to take on new business and that’s the next phase of our development.”
Hyundai and Kia are Innocean’s foundation local clients. On a global level the Hyundai Kia Automotive Group has a shareholding in Innocean. The North Sydney agency opened in Australia two years ago and now has nearly 40 staff with an offering that includes media planning.
Wheeler said: “We have exciting current projects – which we’ll be announcing in coming months – and we are talking with some interesting new prospects. We will also be approaching other candidates to recruit as employees and other candidates to recruit as clients.”
Kevin Choi, CEO at Innocean, says “With Jo and James joining the management team, it is now time for us to share our wealth of expertise with other potential partners.”
an Australia has brought on board two new senior hires to lead new projects for existing and future clients.
Further to the appointment of Creative Director, Scott Lambert, in October 2010, Innocean now has Jo Gilbert as Events and Sponsorship Director to oversee all experiential outputs. Jo and her team will continue to work on projects from current clients and will be aggressively pursuing projects from new clients.
Jo’s experience includes client-side marketing in the UK with Virgin Group then specialising in brand activation back in Australia with agencies including STW’s Fudge Group and OgilvyAction. Clients have included Ford, Foster’s, GSK, American Express, Mitsubishi, Purina, Telstra, Rosemount and Nestle.
Amanda Wheeler, General Manager at Innocean, says “Jo personifies the type of person that Innocean now attracts: smart, hard-working and looking for the unexpected. We have exciting current projects – which we’ll be announcing in coming months – and we are talking with some interesting new prospects. We will also be approaching other candidates to recruit as employees and other candidates to recruit as clients.”
To assist in approaching new clients, Innocean has hired James Welch, a new business expert who since arriving in Australia has consulted to a range of businesses helping them define who they are and what business they want to go after. James also hosts the exclusive networking event in Sydney called ‘The Next Dinner Party’.
Kevin Choi, CEO at Innocean, says “We have achieved outstanding and effective creative work for both Hyundai and Kia in two-plus years since we opened in Australia. With Jo and James joining the management team, it is now time for us to share our wealth of expertise with other potential partners.”
Attached:
Photo from left to right:
James Welch, Amanda Wheeler, Kevin Choi, Scott Lambert, Jo Gilbert
Tim Burrowes founded Mumbrella in 2008. He worked on Mumbrella until 2021. At various points he was editor, content director and editor-at-large.
Linkedin
they’re doing the best automotive work in the category
User ID not verified.
Congratulations James! Great move!
User ID not verified.
Digital??
User ID not verified.
Congrats James!
User ID not verified.
You’ve got to be kidding me. This company couldn’t advertise itself out of a wet paper bag.
User ID not verified.
Tim,
why you not post my post???
User ID not verified.
Hi T-shirt. It didn’t seem to come though. Want to try again?
Cheers,
Tim – Mumbrella
James, glad to see you’ve landed. Must have been the Toasties Experience.
(Thanks Tim)
User ID not verified.