Bastion has announced the appointment of Karen Powell to the newly created global role of group chief operating officer, as the group continues to grow globally.
Powell has worked across Asia Pacific and North America for over 20 years and brings a wealth of knowledge in regional go-to-market planning, integrated digital marketing, audience intelligence, marketing automation and experiential events.
Powell most recently held the role of managing director at Australia’s longest-standing B2B marketing agency McCorkell and Associates.
During her career, she has advised some of the world’s most renowned multinational brands such as Salesforce, Lexus, Telstra, EMC, AIG, Harley Davidson, SAP, and AMEX. She also holds a Masters in International Business, a Bachelors of Asian Studies as well as a Bachelors of Business Administration/Marketing.
In her role as COO, Powell’s focus will be overseeing Bastion’s operations globally across client, business, people, and marketing. She will be ensuring that Bastion continues to deliver world-class experiences to their clients, and maintaining the company’s presence in Melbourne, Sydney, Gold Coast, Los Angeles, New York City, Wellington, and Auckland, as well as agency partnerships in 10 Asian markets.
Jack Watts, Bastion’s CEO, said of Powell’s appointment: “We’re thrilled to have someone with Karen’s vast experience and relentless drive on board. We have spent over a decade building Bastion to be the new world agency, to think wide and deliver deep expertise.
“Really as an agency you are judged on two things – client experience and staff experience, Karen is tasked with ensuring those two things are truly world-class, every day, and that clients can access our wide range of services, in a completely seamless way,” he said.
“Personally, the search for a superstar COO was a long one. There aren’t many people in the agency game who have grown independent agencies, at scale, across multiple services and markets. Karen has done that, and after a year of convincing, we’re wrapped to have her on board the mission,” Watts added.
Powell said of her new role at the agency: “I am delighted to be part of Bastion’s next stage of growth and to help bring Jack’s vision to life. Bastion’s integrated model across all business units, globally, is genuinely unique.
“Offering the agility of an independent agency and providing expertise from a wide range of disciplines allows for truly world-class work for our clients. I look forward to working with the diverse, curious, and creative people at Bastion as we continue to grow the new world agency,” she added.
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Top image, left and right: Karen Powell and Jack Watts