Publicis Media Australia and New Zealand today announced the appointment of new national CEOs for its Starcom, Zenith and Mediavest | Spark brands in Australia, as the group continues its transformation.

Toby Barbour, who is currently managing director of Starcom Sydney, becomes National CEO of Starcom Australia; Nickie Scriven, currently managing director of Zenith Melbourne, becomes National CEO of Zenith Australia and Sue Squillace, currently managing director of Mediavest | Spark Australia becomes National CEO of Mediavest | Spark Australia. In the newly created roles, the trio will be responsible for driving growth and innovation of their respective media brands nationally.

Both Barbour and Scriven held client roles prior to joining Starcom and Zenith respectively.

Barbour joined Starcom in 2013 as Client Services Director and was promoted to Sydney Managing Director in 2015. He has a wealth of marketing and sales experience, and prior to joining Starcom, has held senior roles including General Manager of Consumer Marketing at Sony, Sales & Marketing Director at Olympus and National Sales Manager at Polaroid and General Manager Sales and Innovation at Hourigan International.

Scriven joined Zenith in 2014 as Melbourne Managing Director, and was previously Head of Marketing and Brand at AustralianSuper. A marketer with more than 18 years’ experience, Scriven has worked with Budding Enterprises Australia, National Australia Bank and News Limited in senior marketing, sales and strategy roles. She has also established her own marketing consultancy business working with many small and medium sized businesses.

Squillace has more than 20 years’ experience in media agencies and was previously General Manager of Mediavest| Spark. She joined sister agency Starcom in 2008 as Group Business Director and became General Manager in 2012. Squillace has also worked in senior client service, planner and buyer roles at OMD, Carat, Bray Media, Clemenger BBDO and Media Decisions.

Commenting on the new leadership, Publicis Media ANZ CEO Matt James said: “The appointment of Toby, Nickie and Sue to spearhead our new leadership team for Starcom, Zenith and Mediavest represents another important pillar in Publicis Media’s transformation and momentum. As a brand-led organisation, the CEOs will drive growth and innovation in our business and for our clients.”

Publicis Media COO Chris Nolan said: “Toby, Nickie and Sue have proven to be outstanding leaders in Sydney and Melbourne which has resulted in significant client growth for their respective brands and the creation and development of outstanding teams in each agency. In their national roles, we expect further growth in all offices this year.”

Starcom National CEO Toby Barbour said: “As the Human Experience Company, our people are our strength. As National CEO of Starcom, I am passionate about building upon a skilled team that unlocks the magic at the intersection of people at technology, driving consumer experiences and business performance for our clients’ brands. Starcom will continue to build upon our progressive relationships with media and tech partners, and with client wins in 2016 including eOne, Metricon, Study Group and Fiat Chrysler, we already have great momentum for the year.”

Zenith National CEO Nickie Scriven said: “I am really looking forward to continuing the great momentum we have at Zenith, fuelled by the wins of ALDI and Tennis Australia last year. The role of media agencies is as important as ever and Zenith drives open, strategic and collaborative partnerships with our clients and the media. As the ROI agency, we need to help our clients navigate an ever-complex media environment. To do this we have to be true partners that behave as an extension of their business. I look forward to leading our amazing people to deliver on this promise, with an open mind, integrity and transparency.”

Mediavest | Spark National CEO Sue Squillace said: “Mediavest believes the best way to deliver sustainable growth is through successful partnerships.  In my new role I look forward to further accelerating our understanding of the changing consumer landscape and continually adapting and evolving our brand proposition to deliver a future focused product for our client partners and our people.  Mediavest’s business grew by 50% in 2016 with wins including Monde Nissan, Ezibuy, EA Games, Foodworks, AGL digital and the retention of Diageo, as well as Kraft Heinz and Citibank all transitioning in the first quarter. Culture and training will be at the top of our agenda as we accommodate 40% growth in our team year on year.”

Barbour and Scriven will continue to hold operational responsibility for the Starcom Sydney and Zenith Melbourne offices respectively.

The leadership of the remaining two brands in the Publicis Media portfolio remain unchanged with Performics led by Grace Chu and Blue 449 led by John Preston.

Featured image: Left-Right Toby Barbour, Nickie Scriven, Matt James, Sue Squillace and Chris Nolan