Publicis Groupe appoints first chief media officer
Publicis Groupe ANZ has elevated Spark Foundry CEO Imogen Hewitt into the newly created position of chief media officer.
The role is the third ANZ group practice lead to be appointed, after the October appointment of Publicis Group ANZ chief data officer, Maurice Riley, and earlier this year, chief creative officer, Dave Bowman.
Imogen Hewitt and Matt Turl
Hewitt will commence the group role in January, and continue to head up Spark Foundry ANZ. She first joined the agency from Havas Media Group in 2019 as CEO for Spark Foundry Australia, later expanding her remit to include New Zealand.
Publicis has however appointed new agency leadership at the national level, with Matt Turl stepping up from his role as chief operating officer to become Spark Foundry Australia’s CEO. Spark Foundry New Zealand will be headed by current New Zealand MD, Nicky Greville. Both will continue to report to Hewitt.
Of the group appointment, Michael Rebelo, Publicis Groupe ANZ CEO said: “Imogen’s appointment is our commitment to continuing to build and elevate best-in-class media, data, analytics and investment outcomes to accelerate our clients’ media transformation. She will partner with our media CEOs to scale the effective solutions and processes that already exist within our Groupe to ensure the continued growth and development of our client offering.”
Imogen Hewitt said: “At Publicis, I have seen how the power of great agency brands working in a connected way fuels incredible innovation, nurtures brilliant people and builds sustained success for clients. The media agencies within our Groupe are powerhouses in their own right, so the opportunity to work alongside their leaders to push ourselves, our product and our results even further is enormously exciting.”
Speaking to Turl’s promotion, she added: “Matt has been an incredible partner to me, and a brilliant leader at Spark Foundry. He is supremely professional and a source of both wisdom and considered calm for our people, partners and clients alike. It is a great pleasure to see him elevated into a role he so clearly deserves.”
Matt Turl said: “Spark Foundry’s sustained success over the last four years has been achieved through a combination of Imogen’s drive, intellect and good humour; the strength and stability of the leadership team, and our connectivity to the Groupe. For me, the succession plan we have executed reflects the maturity of our business, and a collective belief that greater opportunities and achievements lie ahead for our clients, our people and our partners.”
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