Mars United Commerce has appointed Ashley Wales-Brown as digital commerce director for Australia and New Zealand, as the agency continues to expand its connected commerce offering in the region.
The appointment comes a year after Mars United rebranded from The Mars Agency, following its acquisition by Publicis Groupe in September 2024. The rebrand reflected a broader ambition to deliver end-to-end commerce marketing solutions, with 14 hubs now operating globally.
Wales-Brown brings two decades of experience across agency, sales, ad tech and e-commerce in both the UK and Australia. He was previously managing director and founder of Podean ANZ, where he led the region’s first Amazon-specialist agency. Under his leadership, Podean won Campaign’s E-Commerce Agency of the Year three years running and became the first Amazon Advanced Partner in ANZ.
Kelly Wearmouth, managing director ANZ, Mars United Commerce, said: “I am delighted to welcome Ashley to the Mars United Commerce team. I was very impressed with the work he did at Podean and the partnership he provided as I was building out the Amazon Ads business. He is incredibly adept at navigating the fast-changing commerce space and translating this into something that can meet his clients’ needs.”
In his new role, Wales-Brown will focus on simplifying commerce delivery for clients and integrating with Publicis Groupe’s broader capabilities. “As the commerce space becomes increasingly fragmented, providing brands with the ability to have all their commerce objectives consolidated in one agency offering is unique and much needed,” Wales-Brown said. “Pulling together not only the proven pedigree of Mars United but the resources and breadth of Publicis Groupe makes for a compelling proposition, which I’m excited to grow.”
Mars United Commerce ANZ partners with more than 100 global brands, leveraging retail consultancy, commerce media and shopper intelligence to drive growth across multiple touchpoints.