McCann Group New Zealand has appointed Zac Stephenson as managing director of media and promoted Terri Collier to the newly-created group role of chief client officer.
Stephenson will partner Collier in leading McCann Group New Zealand’s media business (formerly FCB Media). He will be charged with setting strategic and commercial direction to “deliver impactful, insight-led media solutions” across the group’s client portfolio. Working closely with creative, strategy and network partners, the pair will build on client relationships, drive sustainable growth, and champion innovative media thinking.
Stephenson brings 26 years of experience across New Zealand and the UK, with a track record of leading major agency transformations, delivering award-winning media strategies and driving client growth across finance, entertainment, FMCG, QSR and retail. Renowned for building high-performance cultures centred around outstanding client engagement, Stephenson blends strategic vision with creative execution.
Collier’s role places client-centricity at the heart of McCann’s end-to-end operating model, connecting creative, media and specialist capabilities across the Omnicom network to ensure clients have access to the full breadth of expertise across data, martech, commerce and earned media.
Under her leadership at FCB Media, Collier has overseen some of the agency’s most significant client partnerships. She led the successful pitch and onboarding of the Vodafone media account in 2022, supported the brand’s transition to One NZ and has since expanded the remit beyond media into advanced analytics and creative collaboration.
Collier has also played a key role in strengthening the agency’s 46-year partnership with Mitre 10, supporting the brand’s digital and data evolution while protecting the fundamentals that have made their relationship.
Collier is a senior media and marketing leader with more than 20 years’ experience across agency leadership, strategic planning and client partnership in New Zealand and internationally. Known for her commercial focus and collaborative leadership style, she has built enduring client relationships across retail, financial services, FMCG and telecommunications.
The appointments reunite Stephenson and Collier who have a proven track record of collaboration, previously working together at DDB, bringing an established working relationship, friendship and shared leadership philosophy to the next chapter of McCann’s growth.
“It’s a hugely exciting time to be taking on this role. With the scale of the country’s largest marketing services business, an outstanding client roster and the strength of Omnicom behind us, we’re in a unique position to redefine what modern media partnership looks like in New Zealand, ” Stephenson said:
Collier said: “This role has been shaped by what our clients need right now: less complexity, better integration, and work that actually delivers. As Chief Client Officer, my focus is helping them access the best of the Omnicom ecosystem across creative, media, data and analytics, marketing tech, earned and commerce, without the usual silos and handoffs that slow things down.
“I’m also genuinely excited to be working again with Zac as he steps into the MD role. Launching our new integrated media offering within the McCann Group is a big moment for us, and we’re focused on building a new model that’s properly joined up, future-ready, and built for what clients are asking for next.”
Paul Wilson, co-CEO of McCann Group New Zealand, said: “These appointments are about building a leadership team that reflects where we’re going as a business — more connected, more accountable and more ambitious for our clients. Terri and Zac bring proven chemistry and a shared vision for what integrated partnership should look like.”
