Melbourne-based integrated agency Spinach has announced three promotions to lead the business into its next 25 years as founders Craig Flanders and Frank Morabito step back from day-to-day operations.
Flanders and Morabito founded Spinach in 1999 after jumping ship from FCB. In the agency’s first few years, the pair landed clients including Heinz, Scholl, Durex, Converse, Melbourne Airport and Renault. Today the agency works with brands such as Drummond Golf, Transurban, Kogan, Baby Bunting, Black Swan Dips and Homebuyers Centre.
Nicole Miranda will take the helm of the business as she steps up to the role of Managing Director. She has been with Spinach since 2021 in the role of Director of Client Services and previously worked with the agency when she was Head of Marketing at Liquorland.
“Stepping up to Managing Director is an opportunity to focus our team on making Spinach as invaluable to our clients as the agency was to me when I was on the other side of the fence,” Miranda said. “Walking the ‘integration’ walk – seamlessly combining our skills in media, creative, data and more – is key to achieving this. While integration isn’t a new concept, delivering on the promise requires an ongoing commitment. I’m more than up for the challenge.”
Ben Willee has been promoted to Executive Director of Media and Data. Willee joined Spinach in 2011 when the agency added media to its offering, one of the first independent Australian agencies to adopt an integrated model bringing creative and media together.
Willee said: “Working in this industry is like surfing in a hurricane – just when you think you’re on top of a wave, another one comes crashing in. The trick is learning to ride the chaos and make it work for your clients. Fortunately, we love a challenge. Learning isn’t just part of the job – it is the job. And when you pair that learning with smart integration, the results can be spectacular.”
Dom Megna takes control of the day-to-day running of the creative department in his role as Executive Creative Director. Megna joined Spinach in January 2023 and cites Morabito as one of his early mentors.
“Our clients are always looking for outsized impact and returns – they want an aggressive agency in their corner to get them there. Fighting harder is the philosophy for creative as much as it is for every other department. We fight harder for engaging ideas,” Megna said.
