Starcom Australia boosts staff with six senior hires

According to a spokesperson, the hires cover a range of disciplines in support of key clients and new business wins, including Optus which the agency won in March.

“It’s been a year of solid growth for Starcom. We’ve boosted our talent considerably to accommodate both the increase in client business, and the areas where we are expanding our capabilities, including analytics,” Starcom MediaVest Group CEO John Sintras said.

Staff appointments in Sydney include performance director Tracey Weinreb and strategy director Patrick Whitnall.

Weinreb joins Starcom from Mediacom Sydney where she was group business director. Hailing from the UK, she has 15 years’ industry experience with brands including IAG, Diageo, AIG Insurance, Ford, News International, Financial Times and Audi.

Whitnall comes to Sydney from Starcom in London where he has spent the majority of almost seven years with the Starcom MediaVest Group, progressing from investment director to head of innovations, content and entertainment.

In Melbourne, Jason Tonelli has been appointed digital director and Penny Shell has been named business director.

Tonelli, most recently, led the Aegis Trading Desk, and brings a wealth of knowledge from across the industry, including client experience on BMW, Victorian Government and Virgin Australia.

Shell was previously at Mitchell & Partners, Ikon and client-side at Nike before joining Starcom. Her new role is as business director on Lion Dairy and Drinks. The move marks a return to the Melbourne market for Shell following stints in Sydney and Canberra.

Starcom Brisbane has appointed senior analyst Michael Chong and digital planner Brinja Schmirrmacher.

Chong comes to Starcom from Mediacom in London where he was senior econometrician for business science. He has also held senior analytical roles in Singapore. Chong is part of the analytics team servicing the Suncorp account.

Schirrmacher will also be primarily focusing on the Suncorp Insurance and Banking account in Brisbane. She joins from Initiative Media in Hamburg where she was head of digital strategy.