Initiative appoints Tracie Michael as CEO for Australia; Roger Camplisson departs

Chris O’Keefe, a senior client service director at UM, has also been appointed managing director of Initiative Sydney.

The two appointments follow the departure of Roger Camplisson who has stepped down as CEO with immediate effect.

On Camplisson's departure, Initiative global chief Richard Beaven said: “Under Roger’s leadership, Initiative in Australia has grown three-fold. We have seen a sustained and substantial period of business growth, including the challenging economy in 2009.”

He added: “After 25 years in media, we understand Roger also has interests in other sectors, we thank him for the significant contribution he has made and wish him well for the future,” he added.

Since joining Mindshare in 2005, Michael has led the WPP media agency’s American Express, IBM and Diageo accounts prior to being appointed managing director of the Sydney office. She also led a restructuring of the office and its transition to digital capabilities.

O’Keefe has worked at UM for two years. He started his career in the Brisbane market on retail giant Super Cheap Auto and Flight Centre and has spent the past nine years in Sydney running accounts including Hyundai, Telstra, David Jones, Audi, Westpac, Nokia and MasterCard.

On Michael’s appointment, Beaven said: “Tracie Michael’s talent and experience makes her the ideal choice to take over at Initiative Australia, to accelerate our overall progress and client relationships.”

Michael added: “Initiative’s positioning as the performance-led network, with a 100 per cent focus on getting the best results for clients is a great fit for my career and I am delighted to be asked to take the CEO role.”