Mitchells has appointed Penny Davy-Whyte to the role of general manager of Australian Government Services.
Penny will be based in the Canberra office and will lead a team of almost 60 dedicated staff across the Mitchell Adcorp Alliance (MAA) located in offices in Canberra, Melbourne and Sydney that are servicing the Australian Government Account.
Penny has had a long-standing career in leading media agencies including Ogilvy & Mather, Ikon, Zenith Optimedia and Carat, both overseas and in Sydney. Penny’s most recent role was with the Department of Defence, so along with her media agency management experience and media expertise, she brings Australian Government client knowledge.
Kenny Stewart, CEO of Mitchells said, “Penny is an ideal hire for us. She will bring a balance between senior-level and highly strategic media agency experience, with an understanding of the intricacies of Government work, and key relationships in Canberra. She has a great reputation in this market and I am confident that our team and the Australian Government client will benefit from her experience and leadership.”
Speaking of her appointment, Penny said, “After many years working in Sydney and abroad, I am happy to be back in my home town and this exciting opportunity to work in one of the premier media agency roles in the Canberra market really tops it off. Having recently spent some time ‘client side’, I really look forward to the challenge of getting back into the agency world, particularly with the privilege of managing one of the foremost media accounts in the country.”
Mitchell & Partners was appointed as the Master Media Agency for the Australian Government in 2014. In order to provide full service to the Australian Government, Mitchells formed an alliance with incumbent non-campaign media agency Adcorp. This partnership commenced operations in July 2014 as the Mitchell Adcorp Alliance.
John Thompson, who played a critical role in establishing the Australian Government account service for Mitchells in Canberra, will now focus on leading the Victorian Government account in his hometown of Melbourne.
Penny Davy-Whyte starts this week and will be based in Canberra.
