Martech and data consultancy Venntifact has opened its first Brisbane office, led by former PwC Melbourne manager James Wawne (feature image).

Wawne has over 13 years’ experience in digital consulting and has been leading his London-based agency, Smartcog, for the past eight years. He previously worked in Australia as PwC state lead, digital intelligence, Melbourne.

With Wawne at the helm in Brisbane, Venntifact aims to deliver practical advice to brands looking to more effectively leverage marketing technology and data. Several key hires are expected to be announced for the new office over the next few months.

“Venntifact is going from strength to strength and I’m excited to be leading the Brisbane expansion,” said Wawne. “The city boasts an emergent marketing and tech scene, evidenced by the recent launch of Salesforce’s Brisbane office. Along with our local clients and partners, we hope to train and advise the next generation of CMOs and data-driven marketing talent.”

Venntifact’s mission is to develop skills and capability for the data-driven digital economy, helping brands to build an effective technology strategy and empowering teams to deliver data-driven customer experiences. In an industry full of smoke and mirrors, the consultancy helps its customers build more effective operating models, improve their processes and hire great people.

The expansion follows a period of rapid growth for Venntifact, which recently saw Deloitte Digital’s Jakub Drhlik join the business as director of consulting, and Karin Kalda join from Digitas Australia. Since its launch in early 2018, Venntifact has grown to a team of 30, working with brands including Xero, Westpac, Flight Centre and Virgin Australia.

Venntifact co-founder and executive director digital strategy Damon Etherington added: “We’re thrilled to have James on board leading our business in Brisbane. James has a wealth of international experience leading enterprise transformations, which makes him perfectly placed to lead Venntifact Brisbane and our international expansion plans.

“To be successful in today’s market, brands need to find ways to create meaningful connections with customers, which requires an understanding of data, targeting and technology systems. But the most important skill is the ability to weave these all together, which can be an incredibly challenging task. We’re excited to help more Brisbane-based brands take back control of their data.”

Venntifact is Australia’s first Tealium Certified Partner, a certification which recognises the consultancy’s ability to help brands to collect and organise data, develop a single customer view and deliver orchestrated customer experiences across owned and paid media.

Venntifact’s clients include Virgin Australia, Network 10, Flight Centre, KFC and Westpac.