Red Havas’ Sydney executive director, Jackie Crossman has announced she is stepping down from her role at the end of 2019.
Following four years at the helm of the Sydney PR operation, Crossman will take time to pursue her passion for travel while also continuing as a consultant to the Red Havas Group in 2020. This will include leading a global talent initiative to upskill teams across Red Havas’ international network.
Since Crossman Communications became part of the Red Havas Group in 2015, Crossman has spearheaded a series of award-winning creative campaigns and driven significant business growth year-on-year. Some of Crossman’s key achievements at Red Havas include overseeing successful campaigns for Vivid Sydney with Destination NSW, creating a critically-acclaimed campaign for Australia Macadamias to put Australia’s finest nut on the map and more recently, being a driving force behind the award-winning Little People, Big Lives campaign for Sanitarium.
She has also led the implementation of a comprehensive staff training program to support talent development while additionally making a notable contribution to leading work/life balance, parental support and diversity initiatives within Red and the broader Havas Village.
Crossman said: “I’m proud to have worked with awesome people who have achieved an immense amount of success. We have been working towards this milestone for some time so it feels great to see the leadership team in such great shape to continue our success story. I’m delighted to move on to my next chapter with full confidence in the team kicking plenty of goals and delivering amazing work for clients for years to come.”
Red Havas Global CEO James Wright, who brought Crossman to the agency in 2015, added: “Jackie is a unique and phenomenal operator whose impact at Red Havas and the wider Australian industry can’t be under-estimated. From helping to grow the successful business and talent we have today in our Australian agency, to the leadership roles she has played within industry associations, her impact will be long-lasting.”
As the agency prepares to kick off another record year in 2020, following significant growth in 2019, Red Havas’ Sydney PR operation will elevate well-established specialist practice leads to form a Board of Directors to drive success in its next phase of development.
The Sydney PR board of directors will comprise:
- Adam Freedman, head of consumer, who has been part of the agency’s growth trajectory since joining in 2012.
- Symon Madry, head of technology and B2B, who has fuelled double digital growth in the practice since joining in 2018.
- Reema Babakhan, head of lifestyle and leisure, who has brought a wealth of international expertise to the team since joining earlier in 2019.
- Sue Cook, head of healthcare, who has grown the agency’s footprint in healthcare communications.
- Grant Richmond-Coggan, business director, who has been with the agency since 2015, driving business development across these practices locally and more recently across APAC.
Red Havas Australia CEO, Sarah Trombetta, will chair the Sydney PR Board of Directors.
Trombetta commented: “Jackie’s most powerful legacy remains the market’s strongest leadership bench and we are so grateful to her for bringing this team of specialists together. Adam, Symon, Reema, Sue and Grant have a wealth of expertise in their respective specialisms and passion for partnering with Australia’s most ambitious clients to drive meaningful outcomes for brands. Their commitment and shared values are exactly what this business needs to take it into the future.”
The new structure will be effective from 1 January 2020.
