Dentsu Aotearoa has appointed Lisa Divett as chief strategy officer to help drive the organisation’s capabilities at the intersection of marketing, consulting and technology, tapping into the agency’s desire to drive impact through innovation, delivering never-before solutions for marketers and brands.
Divett brings extensive strategy and planning experience, working across agencies including Clemenger BBDO, Proximity New Zealand, and Colenso BBDO. More recently Divett has run her own consulting practice but has been enticed back into the agency world out of excitement for the dentsu opportunity in market. Divett has also served as convenor of judges for Effie Aotearoa for the past three years.
Of Ngai Tūhoe and Pākehā descent, Divett is passionate about promoting diversity and opportunities for Māori in the creative industry and aligned to Dentsu’s ambition to have a positive impact in society.
Rob Harvey, dentsu Aotearoa CEO, said: “Lisa’s experience in driving strategy that doesn’t just deliver growth for business but adds real value to the world aligns with Dentsu’s global philosophy of Business to Business to Society, meaning outcomes that are good for business and good for society. Her passion for promoting opportunities for Māori in the creative industry is genuine, and I know her expertise and energy are going to make an enormous impact across our business and with our clients.”
Divett said: “My first advertising role was in a fully integrated agency, I loved solving problems by drawing upon the unique minds that are attracted to different disciplines and I’m excited that Dentsu’s model recognises the power of this approach. Creating ideas that leads us into the “Never Before” gives me goosebumps. I can’t wait to get started.”
David Halter, Dentsu ANZ’s chief strategy officer, added, “Lisa is a sharp thinker and strong addition to our ANZ strategy community. She will add value across the region with her experience in developing strategy for corporate and government businesses and deep capability in producing work that shapes culture and leaves an impression on people. As we reframe how we go to market we need people like Lisa who can think across practices of media, creative and CXM to help us drive innovation and impact.”
At Dentsu Aotearoa, she will be responsible for leading a multi-disciplinary team of strategists working at the intersection of creative, media, and experience to deliver innovation and impact for Dentsu clients.
The appointment follows Dentsu Aotearoa’s recognition at the Cannes Lions, securing three awards for its innovative “Aid Aisle” campaign for FreshChoice; and the recent appointment of Sam Yap-Choong as the GM of data and analytics for Dentsu Media.
