GroupM New Zealand Nabs Apparent Sydney’s John Halpin For CEO Role

GroupM has announced the appointment of John Halpin as the new CEO of GroupM New Zealand.

Halpin will be responsible for delivering a new proposition, that brings to life GroupM’s global vision of shaping the next era of media where advertising works better for people, in a distinctly New Zealand way. He will lead GroupM’s purpose, vision, culture and values amongst employees, clients, and partners.

Halpin is a well-renowned and respected industry leader with global and local NZ experience working across brands including Coca-Cola, Commonwealth Bank, Telstra, Google, IBM and Microsoft. He brings over 20 years of media and marketing experience across Australia, Europe and APAC, having led some of Australia’s most iconic agencies such as Naked Communications as Managing Partner and Ikon as head of strategy.

Aimee Buchanan & John Halpin

Most recently, he was head of strategy and media for independent agency Apparent, where he launched its media division in 2019 and scaled it across global and local technology brands.

Working closely with the NZ leaders of EssenceMediacom, Wavemaker, Mindshare and GroupM, he will be responsible for leading GroupM NZ into the next era of media and advertising, by delivering market-leading products and services that leverage the very best technology, tools and products available across the global network.

Halpin is passionate about building agency brands with purpose-backed visions, and adept at navigating complex business challenges in an ever-changing landscape. His leadership skills and deep strategic knowledge will be instrumental in driving growth for GroupM’s people, clients and agencies.

Aimee Buchanan, CEO of GroupM AUNZ, said: “John’s passion for New Zealand, its culture, and its people runs deep, and he has a lot to offer our people, our clients and the broader NZ industry. He’s a deep strategic thinker, and importantly a good human. He brings with him incredible global and international experience, with a strong understanding of and deep connection to NZ. I have watched John’s career from afar over a number of years, admiring his work and I am thrilled to have him join to lead NZ into the new era of growth.”

Halpin said: “I love the fact that I’ll be working in NZ again. There is an incredible talent base within our agencies, a depth of capability and the chance to work with some of Aotearoa and the World’s most iconic brands. That combination, fueled by a purpose driven and future-looking vision, is exactly the challenge I’ve been looking for. It’s a massive honour to join the team and work with them to shape the next era of media.”

Halpin will join the executive committee for GroupM Australia & New Zealand. He is the latest senior figure to join GroupM as it builds a balanced and diverse leadership in the region, following the appointment of Pippa Berlocher as CEO of EssenceMediacom AUNZ, Maria Grivas as CEO of Mindshare AUNZ, Melissa Hey as GroupM Chief Investment Officer and Tom Braybrook as MD of data and tech consultancy Acceleration.

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Aimee Buchanan John Halpin