VMLY&R expands national team with 14 new hires
VMLY&R has made 14 new appointments across its Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney offices, including four senior roles in strategy, creative, experience design and business management.
The new hires come six months after the agency united the Melbourne and Sydney offices under a combined leadership team.
Commenting on the appointments, VMLY&R ANZ CEO Thomas Tearle said: “We’ve had a fantastic start to 2022, with exciting expansion of several client partnerships and new business wins in Auckland, Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney and Wellington. We’ve taken this opportunity to both invest in our team and to add to our capability with these new appointments. Steve, Erin, Vanessa and Franc bring exceptional talent and more importantly are just awesome humans who’ll take us towards the next stage in our journey. I’m so pleased to welcome them to VMLY&R Australia and New Zealand.”
The senior appointments include experience designer Steve Mair, who will join the agency’s Brisbane office as head of customer experience. Mair comes to the role with over 20 years of experience delivering work for clients across the government, finance, pharmaceutical, health and tech sectors.
Commenting on his appointment, Mair said: “I have been impressed by the work produced by VMLY&R in Australia and New Zealand over the past couple of years. I can’t wait to join the rapidly growing team and continue building connected experiences for brands across the region.”
Joining the national team is Erin Hunter, who has been appointed to the role of Australia and New Zealand Director, where she will be responsible for developing and executing commerce strategy and plans for key clients. Erin joins VMLY&R from MKTG, where she led the shopper and experiential offering, working with brands across FMCG, pharma and beverage sectors. She also has experience with diversity, equity and inclusion, having worked with R U OK? and Black Dog Institute.
Vanessa Tout has been appointed to the role of Client Services Director for VMLY&R’s Melbourne office, as the agency invests in its CX capabilities. Tout has more than 15 years experience working across agencies in the UK, Australia and New Zealand, including Isobar and Digitas.
Finally, CHEP’s Francois-Xavier (Franc) Hafner VMLY&R Brisbane as group account director. Hafner spent over three years with CHEP leading work for AGL and La Trobe university. Previously, he worked across a number of agencies in London including Grey, Havas and BBH.
VMLY&R’s other ten hires span production, social, account management, user experience, technology and creative sectors.
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