BuzzFeed has announced that award-winning advertising industry creative Simon Veksner will join its team in Sydney to oversee branded content across Australia and the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region.

Veksner is the founder of social media agency Hungry Beast. He also previously worked as creative director at DDB Sydney, and prior to that, as head of ideas at Naked.

As senior creative lead, Veksner will lead BuzzFeed’s Sydney-based creative team and report to executive creative director Richard Alan Reid in New York.

“We’re thrilled to have Simon on board, and to see the continued growth of our business in Australia and APAC,” Reid said.

“With extensive experience in both advertising and journalism and a bunch of awards to his name, Simon’s perfectly positioned to take our in-market branded content offering to the next level.”

Commenting on his appointment, Veksner said: “I’ve been a fan of BuzzFeed’s work for a long, long time. They’re a genuinely innovative company, and I feel their values are very much aligned with my own.

“BuzzFeed is experiencing spectacular growth all around the world, and I’m excited to be given the opportunity to help Australian marketers tap into what BuzzFeed can offer.”

The announcement comes as BuzzFeed expands its product offering in the APAC region and launches localised video production for custom branded content and global franchises Tasty and Bring Me.

The move furthers BuzzFeed Australia’s position as the end-to-end ad solutions destination that produces bespoke creative content for distribution across its O&O properties and other platforms.