Cummins&Partners has named Katherine Chen (lead image) as its new Sydney general manager.
Following a series of recent announcements, Chen joins the agency to supercharge the Sydney offering and deliver on the agency’s promise of real, wild growth for its people, product and clients.
“I’m buzzing,” Michael McConville, CEO of cummins&partners. “Kath is a brilliant human- being, an inspiring person, a loved leader and champion of people and the work. Her passion and energy is genuine and infectious, and unsurprisingly, it results in clients and staff wanting to partner with her; always pushing for bigger and better. She’s a rare talent whose values are immediately clear and shared. She’s here for all the right reasons, and together we’re ready to smash things. I’m excited’.
“Honestly, I’m buzzing too,” added Chen. “Sometimes you just know when it’s right and this was certainly one of those times. cummins&partners have a clear vision, big ambitions and genuinely something different to offer and say – it’s exciting. I think we’re in a really special space where creative, media, experience and effectiveness can combine so powerfully. It’s one thing to have it all in the locker, but it’s another to create great work and have a blast along the way. And in this instance, I think we’ve got that perfect combination that can allow us to accomplish it all.”
Chen joins from VMLY&R where she championed creativity and clients, through the ranks.
Originally joining VMLY&R from ClemengerBBDO Melbourne where she ran some of their most celebrated accounts – such as Carlton United Breweries – she’s been at the client leadership level of multiple Agency-of-the-Year awards, across both agencies. Starting as
Client Services Director at VMLY&R Melbourne, she then added the national remit to that role, before moving into the managing partner role in Sydney. Chen oversaw clients as diverse as Australia Post, Rip Curl, Australian Unity, Monash, Intel and Colgate along the way, driving effectiveness through creativity for each. Prior to that she was client services director at Ensemble, IPG Mediabrands’ brand, content, experiential and media arm, making her the perfect fit for cummins&partners, added McConville.
“Kath is another rare talent that has even run clients in a media agency, before doing the same in creative. With our combined creative:media:experience:effectiveness offering, she’s got the dream-creds. It just so happens she’s a dream to work with too. Add Kath in Sydney, to Sarah Raine as GM in Melbourne, now everyone will start to get a sense of what we’re really all about. A real team. Good humans. Doing good work. Full of care for both of those.
“We’re no longer in the planning for what’s next, we’re just doing it. One last piece to announce – probably tomorrow – and dare I say rather swearily say… let’s fucking go!”
