Jason Tonelli appointed as new Zenith Media CEO
Publicis Groupe has appointed Razorfish CEO Jason Tonelli as its new Zenith Media Australia CEO, succeeding Nickie Scriven in the role as she prepares to depart.
Tonelli currently heads up Publicis digital agency Razorfish, alongside being chief product officer for the group across the ANZ market. He will move into the role at the start of 2023, and continue to lead Razorfish in the meantime.
Publicis Groupe Australia and New Zealand CEO, Michael Rebelo said: “Jason’s depth of experience in media, data, technology and creative solutions has made him a key member of our executive leadership team. Most recently, he relaunched Razorfish to position the business as a progressive digital marketing transformation agency. While as Chief Product Officer, he strengthened our agencies’ capabilities in the core areas of commerce and attention.
“Over the past ten years and in the various roles Jason has held across the Groupe, he has shown himself to be a successful and strategic leader focused on building a strong culture and driving business outcomes for clients – making him perfectly placed to take Zenith to its exciting next stage of growth.”
Just three months ago, Publicis Groupe returned the Razorfish brand in Australia, in turn ditching the Performics Mercerbell. Performics now operates as a separate performance marketing entity, with current Tonelli being appointed to head up both separate agencies.
Tonelli added: “The Zenith brand and business have been built by brilliant people, powered by a best-in-class investment product, and proprietary tools and data. With a heritage of strong leadership and talented specialists, I could not be more honoured to lead Zenith and succeed Nickie Scriven, who has done an amazing job progressing the agency to where it is today.
“The opportunity ahead in what we can do for clients is enormous. Working across the full spectrum of media communications, Zenith delivers insights that lie at the intersection of consumer, category, and brand – attributing every budget to stronger business outcomes, and more personal brand experiences.”
Previous roles within the group for Tonelli include Publicis Media Australia and New Zealand’s chief digital and technology officer, an executive director of technology, digital & content at Starcom Australia.
Scriven has been at the agency for eight years, joining as Melbourne MD in 2014 from Australian Super. She has been CEO for five and a half years after being promoted in early 2017.
Nickie Scriven appeared on the first episode of the year on the Mumbrellacast. During the conversation, Scriven spoke about Zenith positioning itself within the Publicis one-stop-shop model, winning clients and the changing nature of pitching, and fixing the talent crisis through the new Zen Academy program.
Scrivens next move remains unknown.
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Calum Jaspan was news editor at Mumbrella, based in Melbourne. He was also the producer and host of the Mumbrellacast. He left Mumbrella in May 2023.
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