Media Merchants has made three senior appointments to its Performance Marketing team.
Brendan Christie joins the full-service independent agency as Head of Search, bringing extensive enterprise-level expertise in FMCG from his tenure at WooliesX, where he led search strategies for Woolworths, Big W, and Big W Marketplace.
His technical acumen is set to enhance the agency’s performance services and open new growth avenues for Media Merchants’ retail clients.
“What attracted me to Media Merchants was the rare combination of independence, agility, and genuine retail expertise,” said Christie. “The vision here is bold and clear, and I’m excited to contribute to shaping the next chapter of retail performance.”
Stepping in as Social Media Lead, Sam Melit brings strategic experience from Wavemaker, where he spearheaded social strategy for brands such as Yourtown, Hamilton Island, Allianz Travel, and Triumph. He will oversee both paid and organic social initiatives, delivering innovative and effective campaigns for the agency’s growing roster of clients.
Alex Altendeitering takes on the role of Paid Media Manager after relocating from Melbourne’s Alley Group, where he developed integrated digital strategies for prominent national retailers including Sportsgirl and Amart Furniture. His addition bolsters Media Merchants’ national service capability and deepens its digital expertise.
These new appointments further strengthen Media Merchants’ already high-performing Performance team, led by Bec Russell, Performance Client Services Director, and supported by the agency’s expanding in-house SEO team.
Together, the team enhances Media Merchants’ comprehensive performance offering across search, social, programmatic, creative, traditional media, and content production—all housed under one roof.
“Performance is one of the core pillars of our growth strategy,” said Justine Butler, Managing Partner at Media Merchants. “Bringing in talent of this calibre is a major step forward as we continue to evolve how we partner with clients—pushing boundaries to deliver work that’s faster, smarter, and more impactful.”
Top image: Brendan Christie, Alex Altendeitering and Sam Melit