They are the glue that connects employees and create a culture we all want to work for. Often unsung heroes, the role of the people and talent leaders could not be more pertinent in an industry that is reshaping and adapting to difficult times.
This time on B&T’s Best of the Best, we’re shining a light on these people leaders.
Last time out, we took a look at the Best of the Best creatives from independent agencies. Before that, we revealed the 10 Best of the Best holding company creatives.
Coming up next in Best of the Best (and we’re perilously close to the end of the 2024 season), we’ll be taking a look at: Experiential Producers, Social Media Directors and Business Support staff. If you know anyone who should be on one of those lists, drop us a line at [email protected].
Before we start on this list of 10, we want to give a nod to BMF. The agency won our Best People & Culture Award at last year’s B&T Awards but, Patrick Fairbrother, talent lead at parent company Enero has only been in the role for a short time.
There are many other HR leaders out there who deserve a special mention, but, alas, we only have space to call out ten of the very best.
10. Jen Davis, head of people, EssenceMediacom
Jen Davis has led EssenceMediacom through one of adland’s biggest mergers over the past two years, working with the executive team to create one of Australia’s largest agencies with that wants to ‘Breakthrough’ ideas with more than 500 people across three states – that’s no mean feat.
Davis has been described as a passionate advocate for people who delivers a “first class employee experience”, supporting and nurturing talent to reach their full professional potential, and helping the business attract and retain the best talent by creating a strong culture and employee value proposition.
She also played a lead role in the launch of GroupM’s future of work plan ‘Thrive’ in 2024, leading the roll out of The Energy Project, a six month wellbeing program across more than 1000 people in GroupM. Davis also sits on the MFA People Committee, helping shape the future of the industry. She was also the co-founder of Wyse Women – a community of professional women seeking flexible work opportunities offering an alternative to the 9-5.
9. Jacinta Munro, head of people, Atomic 212°
There was a time when Barry O’Brien’s agency went through the doldrums after former CEO Jason Dooris tried to destroy one of adland’s top indies about six years ago. What has presided since is quite a remarkable turnaround in culture and performance led by Claire Fenner, James Dixon and Rory Heffernan. Fenner has recently departed the business.
At the heart of this is an HR team that recruits brilliant talent and has succession plans in place. Jacinta Munro has been leading this team for two and a half years. Testament to the culture that has helped shape is that Atomic 212° won Best Places to Work (large agency) at the MFA Awards. It had a strong 2023, as we reported in Atomic’s Agency Scorecard, and while Fenner has left, Heffernan presents a strong successor. All of these moves, but the lack of upheaval, show Munro’s skill as a leader of talent.
8. Robert ‘Bobby’ Stone, director, people and culture, CHEP
It’s not often that the talent who makes these lists is also pretty handy on the basketball court, but Bobby Stone ticks both of these boxes, and plenty more.
The former Melbourne Tiger is the first people and culture leader to join CHEP Network’s executive team and has built dynamic new L&D partnerships with NIDA, Cannes and D&AD.
It’s unusual for a HR lead to be involved in pitches, but Bobby knows how to hit a sweet shot and pick up a rebound or two.
CHEP has a five per cent gender pay gap – well below industry norms – and its churn rate is about half of the industry average. Leadership at CHEP is evenly balanced.
He’s not just an internal favourite, but an industry influencer on social media, so we are told. Bobby has game on and off the court and leads people and culture at one of the largest, and most successful creative agencies.
7. Kristy Camarillo, head of people and culture, The Royals
Creative shop The Royals, which employs 45 staff, topped this year’s AFR Best Places to Work list for businesses media and marketing business with 20 to 99 staff.
Kristy Camarillo heads up a culture that is winning accolades across the industry, a different way to work and one that resonates with clients.
It won this for its ingenious way to motivate its team of creatives, which includes working four client-facing days each week and turning the end of the working week into ‘Unnatural Fridays’ where they work on a single creative idea. That could be a pro bono brief for not-for-profit organisations or special business problems to solve without any pressure (or push back) from clients and budgetary constraints.
The initiative has been well received by staff, with 94 per cent agreeing it has had a positive impact on creative thinking, 25 per cent saying it has improved the quality of the agency’s work and an 11 per cent increase in company confidence. Camarillo and The Royals leadership team are onto something special.
6. Ferrah Dagli, chief people officer, Dentsu
It’s no secret that Dentsu has had a tough year, marked by redundancies and restructures. This has made Ferrah Dagli’s role even more important – the glue through transition.
She has more than 15 years of experience managing transformation and change projects and her skills and counsel have helped Dentsu reshape its people agenda.
Dagli’s career boasts international experience, working at businesses in London including HSBC and Willis Towers Watson.
She is the HR leader you want through thick and thin, and B&T has no doubts will help Dentsu thrive after a bumpy patch.
5. Marco Villella, head of people and talent ANZ, Havas
Marco Villella’s career spans 13 years in the media and communications industry, working at recruitment agencies and media agencies.
He has worked as a people and culture practitioner at several groups, including IPG Mediabrands WPP and, this year, Havas.
Villella looks after 350 employees across Australia and NZ and has overseen a $300,000 reduction in recruitment agency spend since he joined.
He launched Havas Media’s inaugural mentorship program, delivered hiring manager training across all agencies within the Havas Village, and oversaw the transition and integration of 45 new staff members, during Havas Media’s Acquisition of Hotglue, which had a 100 per cent retention rate, almost unheard of in acquisitions. It’s been a busy year for Villella, but Havas has hired a real HR gem.
4. Alexia Bryant, chief people officer, IPG Mediabrands
Alexia Bryant has presided over one of the most successful media agency groups in recent years. But now she is tasked with finding the successors of, arguably, the industry’s hottest leadership team in Mel Fein, Sam Geer and Chris Colter, who left Initiative for Accenture Song.
Bryant will be an important figure in helping to reshape Initiative’s leadership team, while also presiding over UM, which is growing and in a good place.
Bryant joined IPG Mediabrands in 2019 and is liked for her enthusiasm and exceptional people skills. These will come to the fore in 2025 as she guides one of the best cultures in the media agency world under captain Mark Coad.
3. Haanim Montgomery, head of HR, Accenture Song
In January, Haanim Montgomery was promoted to head of HR at Accenture Song. The consultancy that boasts The Monkeys (soon to be Droga5), is renowned for finding the best talent in the market.
In May, Accenture Song pulled off one of the biggest leadership coups in recent industry history. Mel Fein, Sam Geer and Chris Colter left Initiative to become the head honchos of Accenture Song’s new media arm. And more recently, The Monkey’s Melbourne leadership trio of Paul McMillan, Ant Keogh and Michael Derepas departed.
Montgomery leads HR for 800 people across The Monkeys, Maud and a new media division. She is undoubtedly one of the most influential people and culture leaders going around, and is widely respected in the industry.
2. Scott Laird, chief people officer, GroupM
If there is one person who has the Midas touch on industry hires, it’s GroupM CEO Aimee Buchanan. One of her first hires at GroupM was Scott Laird from Initiative. Nearly three years later, Laird consistently proves his worth. GroupM’s turnaround under Buchanan has been down to hiring incredible talent, including in leadership ranks and Laird has rubber stamped a hold co that is on fire.
Laird leads GroupM’s people function, with its ‘Better for All’ strategy across 1,200 people in Australia and New Zealand across its agencies Mindshare, Wavemaker and EssenceMediacom.
Internally, Laird launched ‘Illuminate’, a new training and development program for all levels of the business, including a residential program for client leads. He also drove Thrive, the evolution of GroupM’s Future of Work program. He also developed a program with its Young Leaders committee and exco that helps all its people thrive professionally and personally through Better Balance, Boundaries, Behaviours. He also helped launch Incub8or, an internal ideas accelerator, which led to the launch of an employee driven networking programme to support GroupM’s diverse international employees.
Laird is also chair of the MFA People Steering Committee Scott has played a leading role in the FMA’s Psychosocial Safety Framework.
1. Pauly Grant, chief talent officer APAC & ANZ, Publicis Groupe
Pauly Grant, the chief talent officer at Publicis Groupe ANZ & APAC, is an innovative and strategic HR leader with a more than 20-year career spanning marketing, communications and the fashion industry.
She has led the people and culture strategy for companies to deliver organisational transformation, new operating models, employee engagement, best practice L&D programs, safe and productive working environments, and holistic DE&I strategies.
Across the ANZ business, Grant is a strategic business partner to the Publicis ANZ CEO and coach to the agency CEOs/MDs. In her regional role, which Grant was appointed to earlier this year, she works closely with the Publicis Groupe APAC CEO, global chief talent officer and in-market CTOs to drive APAC’s talent and culture strategy and is a member of the Talent Executive Committee for Publicis International markets.
As a leader, her focus is on making the shift from how to create a great employee experience to a great life experience for people. This is enabled through support frameworks that reflect a diverse workforce with varied lived experiences, such as the Groupe’s introduction of 10 days paid menopause leave last year.
Her focus on cultivating inclusive and high-performing workplaces has seen Publicis named an Employer of Choice by the Australian Business Awards four years in a row. Last year, she was also named in the Top 100 Global Human Resource Leaders list by Human Resource Director.
