Mediaweek’s Media Movers charts the biggest people moves in the industry over the past week.
Aisling Finch
Aisling Finch has been appointed Vice President Marketing and Chief Marketing Officer of Domain , following the completion of CoStar Group’s acquisition of Domain Group .
She will be responsible for Domain’s integrated marketing strategy, brand positioning and consumer experience across domain.com.au, commercialrealestate.com.au and allhomes.com.au.
Finch brings more than 25 years of experience in marketing and technology, including 13 years at Google across Europe and Asia Pacific.
Dentsu has appointed Rob Harvey as Chief Executive Officer for Australia and New Zealand.
Harvey has led dentsu Aotearoa since 2013, after joining the company in 2011 as managing director, media.
He replaces Patricio DeMatteis , who is stepping down after joining in 2023 during the consolidation of 26 brands into five core agency brands.
OMD has appointed Ellen Griffin as President, Global Chief Operating Officer , a newly created role aimed at developing and implementing customised operating models for the agency’s global clients.
Griffin, previously OMD’s Global Chief Client Solutions Officer, will work across Omnicom Media Group (OMG) and the wider Omnicom network to support clients through business transformation and marketing-led growth.
John Grono will retire this week, marking the end of a career in Australian media and advertising research spanning nearly five decades, and coinciding with his 70th birthday.
Grono’s career has included roles in the introduction of TV people meters, the launch of OMD in Australia, and the development of audience measurement tools used across the industry.
He was inducted into the MFA Hall of Fame in 2014, and worked on more joint industry projects than any other individual in Australia and has held positions across all media sectors.
Kate Ritchie
Kate Ritchie has officially returned to her role on Nova 96.9’s breakfast show Fitzy & Wippa with Kate Ritchie .
The former Home and Away star had been absent for the past six months after taking leave to deal with personal matters.
The announcement came this morning, with Michael “Wippa” Wipfli opening the show with a roll call: “It’s a Friday, and the whole team is here,” he began. He then listed the names of the current team members, including co-host Ryan “Fitzy” Fitzgerald and executive producer Tom Ivey , before adding Ritchie’s name.
Nick Keenan has joined Tabcorp as General Manager – Max Gaming , the sports betting solution platform for venues, government and industry.
In a LinkedIn post on Monday, he said: “Absolutely thrilled to announce that I’m joining Tabcorp as General Manager – Max Gaming.
Keenan joins the sports betting company following his exit from Starcom after over four years with the Publicis Groupe agency .
Katie Raleigh announced her departure from Poem as its Managing Director after seven and a half years with the creative communications agency.
In a LinkedIn post on Friday, she shared that it the time had come for her to “step away and try something new.”
Think HQ has appointed Sarah Wood as Sydney Director , as the Melbourne-founded agency continues its national expansion.
Wood replaces Sydney General Manager and former LOUD CEO Lorraine Jokovic , who is stepping down after leading the integration of LOUD into Think HQ since September 2024.
Jimmy Kerr
Are Media has named Jimmy Kerr as NSW Head of Sales .
Kerr will report to director of sales Anna Quinn , Kerr will lead the NSW agency and client sales team, focusing on agency relationships, cross-platform commercial growth and client solutions across Are Media’s portfolio.
Kerr joins from Optus Sport, where he spent nearly five years, most recently as director of commercial revenue overseeing advertising, operations and commercial venues.
His earlier roles at Optus Sport included national associate director of advertising and national advertising sales manager
Maxine Fourie has been appointed Head of Social at Are Media .
Reporting to Zahra Campbell-Avenell , Head of Audience, Fourie will oversee Are Media’s social strategy and execution across platforms. Her remit includes growing brand communities, deepening consumer engagement, and strengthening platform partnerships.
Audience Group has appointed Lewis Coghlan as Head of Data Intelligence .
Working with the independent media agency’s Head of Strategy, Coghlan will develop and refine strategic tools that connect media planning to business outcomes through modelling, predictive analytics, and data-led planning.
BCM Media and Creative, part of BCM Group, has appointed Lukas Temple as its new managing director .
In the newly created role, Temple will oversee client growth and operations across media buying and planning, creative campaign development, digital strategy, and branding.
Temple joins the BCM Group management team alongside Erin Core , head of research division Veracity Research and Insights, and Emma Bedsor and Mia Hamilton , who lead PR and communications agency IVY Social and PR. As part of the leadership changes, current BCM Media and Creative MD Phil McDonald becomes BCM Group CEO.
David Gerrie has been appointed chief financial officer of independent agencies Pearman Media and ACMN. Gerrie brings more than 25 years of experience in financial and operational leadership across media, entertainment, and creative industries.
He has held senior roles at Ikon Communications, Starcom Mediavest, ZenithOptimedia, and Essence (formerly AKQA Media). Most recently, he was CFO at luxury interior design firm Blainey North & Associates.
Orange Line names David Castle head of organic, expands organic and paid teams
Orange Line has appointed David Castle as head of organic , leading the agency’s SEO, communications and outreach functions.
Castle has more than 10 years of experience in SEO strategy, product innovation and AI-led search, and will oversee the independent digital marketing agency’s approach to evolving search trends driven by automation and generative AI.
The agency has also added Jack Reid as SEO director, Sofia Ignatio as outreach coordinator, and Luka Russell as junior content writer to the organic team.
In paid media, Federico Taboadela joins as paid media director and Maja Drottman as paid media executive, as Orange Line expands its performance marketing capabilities in Australia and the US.
International media strategist Jason Behan has launched Apocalypso , a media monetisation and distribution service aimed at helping producers navigate the global content market.
PubMatic has named Takeo Hori as senior director, advertiser solutions for Japan .
Hori was most recently head of sales at Teads. He previously led the advertising division at Microsoft Japan, focusing on agency clients, and was business development director at Index Exchange, where he launched the demand-side business in Japan.
In his new role at the adtech company , Hori will oversee demand-side sales, manage relationships with advertisers and agencies, and drive new business development.
Apocalypso, launched in partnership with Like A Photon, will provide commercial strategy and distribution services for a range of content formats, including theatrical features, streaming series, short-form social content, and emerging platforms such as AVOD and FAST.
Fiona Harris, Rob Ford, Michelle Braslin
1000heads has appointed Michelle Braslin as Client Services Director for the APAC region.
Braslin will report to APAC Managing Director Rob Ford and lead the client services team during General Manager Fiona Harris’s maternity leave.
In the newly created role she will oversee client success, manage the social and client services function, and provide strategic guidance across accounts.
Former Google marketer Ben Drew has launched Chicken Dinner , a growth marketing agency aimed at delivering measurable business results.
Drew founded the agency after four years as Growth Manager for Google’s high-growth client portfolio, where he identified a gap in the market for hands-on, senior-led performance marketing. He previously founded and scaled Seasons into one of Western Australia’s largest festival brands.
He is joined by Growth Manager Maggie Roberts , a search engine specialist who previously ran her own performance marketing agency.