Tag: One Green Bean

Australia – Amber Abbott has been appointed CEO of Havas Australia’s creative communications agency; One Green Bean (ogb), after overseeing a period of sustained and significant growth during her tenure as managing director.

Amber assumes extended responsibility for the management and strategic direction of the agency. Working with ogb’s leadership team, managing partner Lauren Bailey and head of content Laura Byrne, to take the agency to its next phase of growth with a focus on digital innovation, world-class creative thinking, and strategic partnerships and collaborations.

Her appointment comes as One Green Bean enters its 18th year since it began in Australia helping brands earn attention through creativity that drives meaningful conversation – including enduring 10- and 11-year client relationships with Nike and Meat & Livestock Australia respectively. Under Amber’s leadership, ogb has recently welcomed a raft of new clients to its roster that includes Pinterest and Tourism & Events Queensland.

Amber has been with the agency for 11 of those 18 years, progressing from account director to hold senior leadership positions including head of client services and general manager before being appointed managing director in January 2023.

Speaking on her appointment, Amber described the full circle ogb career development she aims to replicate for her team, stating “After over a decade with ogb, it is an honour to take on this role. We’ve entered an exciting new era. We’re still the feisty, boutique agency we were all those years ago – but with the reach, reliability and rigour of a global network behind us. That is a powerful combination.”

She added, “Starting my career at ogb in 2014 was like boarding a rocket ship – fast paced, high pressure. But learning from the best in the business and working on some of the world’s most prestigious, courageous and complex brands quickly taught me that leaning into uncomfortable moments allows you to prove what you’re made of, and expedite your learning and growth.”

When asked about her vision as ogb’s new CEO, she said, “As CEO, my mission is to foster an environment that allows my passionate, talented team to thrive too – to find and seize uncomfortably exciting opportunities that push them to be their best selves, while providing the flexibility, training and personalised support to help them find the right work/life balance that is absolutely essential.”

She added, “I want to inspire my team to be present in their life beyond work, pursue passions and remain consciously curious – because the life bit makes you fundamentally better at the work bit. Not just for our careers – but for our client partners as well.”

Meanwhile, James Wright, group CEO at Havas Creative Network ANZ and global chair at Havas PR Network, commented, “The last two years has seen some of the strongest growth and commercial success in the history of ogb. This has been coupled with an outstanding culture that puts people and creativity at its core. I believe the agency is well set for this to continue with Amber at the helm. She is one of the most dedicated, organised and committed leaders I have ever worked with, and with her strategic mindset and eye for a great idea she has all the attributes you want in a CEO. More than that she is just a great person to be around and partner with as we continue to grow Havas in Australia.”

Australia – Creative communications agency one green bean (OGB), has now been added to Taco Bell Australia’s roster of collaborating partners. 

Starting this July 2023, OGB will now be working across influencer, social media and PR projects to support product launches and brand building for Taco Bell Australia. 

As of now, Taco Bell Australia currently has 39 restaurants across the country. The company plans to set up shop in several more locations nationally.

Amber Abbott, managing director at one green bean, said that they are thrilled to provide marketing and advertising support to Taco Bell in Australia. 

“The brand has a cult following around the world and we’re looking forward to earning attention among an Aussie audience for an adventurous brand,not afraid to do things differently,” she said. 

Speaking about the partnership with ogb, Andrew Howie, chief marketing officer at Taco Bell South Pacific, mentioned, “Since launching in Australia in 2017, we’ve seen steady growth of the Taco Bell brand locally with restaurants opening across QLD, NSW, VIC, and WA. We’re excited to appoint One Green Bean to support us as we enter a new stage of growth in Australia.”

“We know how important it is as a challenger brand in the market to build brand love and an agency like one green bean is perfectly placed to help us do that – whether it’s through Influencer, Social or Earned media,” he added. 

Australia – In celebration of International Women’s Day, full-service earned media agency One Green Bean have launched an initiative with Simone Gupta, CEO at One Green Bean Australia and Kat Thomas, founder and ECD at One Green Bean; which will offer a full day of 30-minute ‘coaching over a cuppa’ sessions, to help women in the comms industry have career-related conversations that really matter.

For Gupta, if they can offer women a fresh perspective on their current situation, help them have a tough conversation with confidence or just help them weigh up whether the grass might be greener, the kettle is ‘officially on’.

“Championing women is something I am extremely passionate about. In my experience, the formula for retaining women isn’t difficult; women want more job satisfaction, more meaningful work, better recognition and to be rewarded with the right pay and benefits. This is very achievable, but it’s sometimes harder for women to make it a reality, which should not be the case in 2022,” Gupta said.

Meanwhile, Thomas said that they want to use their several decades’ worth of experience – as both employers and employees – to give women insights into how to tackle the critical conversations that can push them closer to achieving their ambitions.

“The age of the ‘stick or quit conundrum’ is upon us. I put this down to a complex combination of having ambition and wanting more, but hesitating. I hold the confidence gap responsible for this. In my experience, hesitancy and self-doubt go hand in hand, feelings that disproportionately affect women. Whilst talent is on an equal footing, men are far more likely to push for higher pay, career progression and more flexibility than women do,” she said.

The new initiative is a response to new research commissioned by One Green Bean, which reveals that many female marcomms staff are grappling with the stick or quit conundrum. The majority (54%) of female employees are unsure whether their current employer is the best place for their career while almost a third (32%) do not believe their employer is invested in their career development. This uncertainty has led to half (50%) of women saying they are unsure whether they should stick with their current employer or quit.

Interested participants can reach out to Gupta and Thomas via email.

Sydney, Australia – Social and influencer agency One Green Bean (OGB) has announced its newest leadership promotions within the agency, with Amber Abbott being promoted to general manager, while Mary Proulx becoming head of social and influence.

In their new roles, Abbott takes responsibility for leading the agency, including managing new business and client services across all OGB offerings, and driving agency culture and employee development. Meanwhile, Proulx will lead both the social team and the influencer marketing team at OGB, known as Co-maker. Her remit will be to build on the social and influencer offering with a focus on social strategy, cultural insights, content production and paid social.

Prior to her new role, Abbott was OGB’s head of client services. She began her career as a publicist at Torstar Communications a decade ago, before spending three years in account management roles at London’s The Clear Agency.

Proulx, on the other hand, started out her career as social media director at Red Havas in 2017, and was promoted to group account director in March this year. She joined the Havas Village from her role as social media director at Isentia Strategy & Content, formerly known as King Content, after beginning her agency career in Canada in account roles at PR and communications outfit North Strategic.

Simone Gupta, CEO Havas PR Australia, said, “One Green Bean is a business with creative ideas and a unique agency culture built into its DNA, so it is fantastic to promote from within two talented people who live these values.”