Publicis Media CEO Toby Barbour today announced the appointment of Imogen Hewitt to the role of CEO of Spark Foundry.

Hewitt will join the agency in December, with Publicis Media ANZ Chairman, John Preston, continuing to lead the agency in a caretaker role, working closely with the leadership team during the transition period.

On the appointment, Barbour said: “In Imogen, we’ve found a strategically-minded leader who has worked at the nexus of media, creative, digital and data.

“She brings to the role an understanding of the need to be instinctively collaborative, and adaptive, while creating a culture of high performance and inclusivity – essential attributes we look for in our leaders at Publicis.”

Spark Foundry has this year enjoyed solid new business momentum, counting wins including paint giant PPG Industries (Taubmans), toy company MGA Entertainment, Australian Unity and Cancer Council NSW.

“Lauded as a woman to watch in the industry, Imogen brings two decades of experience rooted in both the media and creative worlds to Spark Foundry, which will be an invaluable asset as we continue our strong growth in Australia,” said Chris Boothe, global brand president, Spark Foundry.

“I’m thrilled to welcome Imogen to the Spark family and am confident that her proven strategic and leadership skills will help drive further success for the agency and its clients in the market.”

Barbour added: “Her appointment comes at an exciting period of growth at Spark Foundry, following the global strategic alignment of sister agency, Blue449, in March. In Australia, this has meant bringing together two successful businesses to deliver our people and clients greater scale, while staying true to Spark’s unique approach, combining the nimble spirit of a start-up with the soul and clout of a global powerhouse.”

Hewitt most recently served as Group MD at Havas Media Group. She has held various roles at Havas, including simultaneously working as the chief strategy officer of Havas Media and joint strategy director at Havas Creative Group.

She joined Naked Communications during its heyday in 2005, taking on roles including Head of Communications Strategy and National Commercial Director; then in 2010, relocated to Singapore to take on the position of Managing Partner at Naked Communications South-East Asia. Early in her career, she also worked at Spark’s sister agency, Zenith.

Among her accolades, Hewitt was honoured by Campaign Asia on its Women to Watch 2017 list and was named B&T’s Strategist of the Year 2017, and Woman of the Year 2017.

Hewitt said: “I’m very excited to work alongside such talented people, leadership teams and client partners at an agency that thrives on diverse thinking, embraces collaboration and prioritises growth for both our clients and our people.

“The opportunity to play a role in further strengthening the Spark business and brand is enormous. To do that with the backing of Publicis Media and the broader Publicis Groupe is a once in a life-time career gift.”