Half Dome today announced the appointment of Renee Murray as its new head of people and culture to lead its people initiatives and Employee Value Proposition.
Murray brings extensive operational expertise from her previous roles, most recently as head of people & culture at The Outdoor Education Group. She also brings operational and learning and development experience from her previous roles across a large range of retail groups. In her new role, Murray will work with Half Dome to unlock its whole potential by reviewing its ways of working and approach to work.
Half Dome co-Founder and managing director, Tom Frazer, said: “People and Culture initiatives in the media and marketing industry have progressed rapidly over the past three years, and whilst we are proud to have been at the forefront of driving that revolution, we felt that bringing in in talent from other industries could help cut through and keep Half dome on the cutting edge as a people focussed business.
“Our Employee Value Proposition goes beyond perks and unlimited leave, focusing on cultivating a culture of growth, happiness, and high engagement.
“We strive to create an environment where challengers can thrive by constantly pushing the boundaries, fostering innovative thinking, and embracing our core values.” Murray’s appointment comes after an extensive search for the right candidate to lead Half Dome’s people and culture strategy, which has been identified in Half Dome’s recent brand launch as one of the agency’s five key ‘superpowers’ people powered performance, driving competitive advantage.
The agency was recently awarded third place in the “AFR Best Places to Work” list, placing for the third consecutive, showcasing the strong foundation for growth. “We’re thrilled to have Renee join our team at Half Dome,” Half Dome general manager, Catherine Smith, said.
“Her experience and leadership will be instrumental in taking our agency’s culture and capability to the next level, I’m confident she is the right person to further unlock our potential, and she is a force to work alongside.” Murray has already made an impact at Half Dome by leading a review of Half Dome’s industry-first unlimited leave policy. Under her leadership, the agency found that greater context was needed to ensure the success of the initiative in the medium and long term.
The feedback from the team has been overwhelmingly positive, and since the changes were implemented, there has been an improved uptake of the unlimited leave policy. Commenting on her new role, Murray said: “I’m thrilled to be joining Half Dome and working with such a talented and passionate team. Half Dome’s superpower ‘people powered performance’ and people-focused culture are key differentiators in the industry, and I look forward to contributing to the agency’s growth and success.”
Murray’s appointment marks another milestone for Half Dome as it continues to attract top talent and cement its position as a leading independent media agency, committed to working with digitally emergent enterprise clients. Late last month, Half Dome announced that former Performics Australia Group customer partner, Simon Gellibrand joined the agency as head of digital, reinforcing its commitment to delivering exceptional technical and performance capabilities and Gabriel Grossman as head of SEO. Murray’s appointment is effective immediately.
