‘Will push the boundaries’: Initiative reveals new national head of strategy, hires and promotions
Initiative Australia has unveiled a string of promotions and hires for its team, including Tom Dodd’s replacement for national head of strategy.
Ali Coysh—who has been serving as head of strategy for Sydney for over two years—is taking on Dodd’s former role, which he left in January 2025 after being promoted to chief strategy officer.
Coysh’s career in agencyland covers 15 years across Sydney and London, in positions such as head of comms planning for McDonald’s at OMD Australia; display account director at MEC in London before WPP merged it with Maxus to become Wavemaker in 2017; digital media planner at PHD.
Dodd described Coysh as “the perfect person” to drive the agency’s strategy offering.
“Since taking on the CSO role I have been wholly focussed on finding the right people to drive the business forward that embody the strong strategic culture we have built as an agency,” Dodd said.
“I’ve known Ali for many years, he is an exceptionally talented thinker & brilliant human to work alongside, so I’m delighted to have him helm of our national strategy offering.
“Ali’s ability to take a brief and challenge it in the right ways to deliver the best client outcomes, has always been his sweet spot.
(L-R): Ali Coysh, Emma Greenhalgh, Tom Dodd, Clare Graham, Tom Davies
“It’s rare to find a person who truly understands audiences and business problems and how they merge for growth like Ali does; watching his brain start to tick when he’s given a new brief is a lesson for us all…he’s the perfect person to help me lead Initiative’s strategy offering.”
Coysh also commented on his new role within the agency. He said Initiative is primed to deliver offerings and support for its clients – and he’s excited at what the next stage will bring.
“Initiative has always been a strategic powerhouse, known setting up its clients for success. I’m excited to have our team take Initiative into a new era, we have such a wealth of talent across all markets it’s a formidable position to be in,” Coysh said.
“With a strengthened strategy and product offering, and a proposition underpinned by market leading technology, tools and talent we are in a unique position to cement our proposition as the Cultural Experience agency.
“It’s an exciting time to be part of a team with a shared ethos to do things differently.”
(L-R): Tate Nalen, Charles Dangibeaud
Coysh’s promotion was one of several new employee moves.
The other appointments include: Clare Graham as Sydney strategy director; ex-group strategy and product director, Tom Davies, as Sydney head of strategy and product; Tate Nalen coming on board as strategy director for Melbourne, who will be expected to work closely with Graham and head of strategy for Perth, Charles Dangibeaud.
“In an era defined by rapid transformation and heightened client expectations, Initiative’s strategy team will push the boundaries of what media can achieve,” Dodd said.
The newly announced promotions and appointments come into effect immediately.
Initiative’s strategy team news comes after the Australian arm of streaming service, Netflix, chose the agency to be its media agency of record last month.
Amplify Australia was announced as Netflix’s lead creative agency.
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Matthew is the editorial assistant at Mumbrella. He joined the company at the end of September 2023.
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Ali Coysh
Charles Dangibeaud
Clare Graham
Initiative
Initiative Australia
Tate Nalen
Tom Davies
Tom Dodd
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