Red Agency hires new experiential lead

AUSTRALIA - Red Agency has appointed Steve Fontanot as general manager of the PR firm’s experiential arm, Red Guerilla.

Fontanot joins from Chieftain Communications, where he was CEO, and has previously worked at DDB and Ogilvy & Mather in Australia.

He has significant experience having worked with major brands including Samsung, eBay, Nestle, Telstra and Real Insurance. At Red Agency part of the Havas Village, Fontanot will be responsible for consumer engagement delivery through innovative and authentic brand experiences.

"I’m incredibly proud of leading Chieftain for almost eight years - the support from clients and the industry has been humbling. It’s time for my next chapter and I’m looking forward to leading brand experience across Red Agency and the Havas Village.”

In addition, Fontanot is charged with building the brand experience hub of the Havas Village, which includes Red, Havas Media, Havas Worldwide and Havas Sports & Entertainment (HSE).

James Wright, Red Agency group CEO and Havas COO, said: "We have been making a number of strategic moves across the Havas Group to make us stronger this year and bringing in someone with the track-record and proven abilities of Steve is a good marker for our intentions to remain a leader. 

Red Guerilla is still only two and a half years young and already on the map with its client base and the quality of work it has produced. We now need to scale across the Havas Village and having Steve on-board working closely across all our teams will help us do that."