Sydney, Australia – Independent media agency Match & Wood has announced the appointment of former IPG executive Stuart MacDougall, to the newly created role of national performance director.

Through his new role, he will be leading the paid search and social performance for Match & Wood’s clients across Australia, with offices in Melbourne and Perth.

Prior to his new role, he worked as paid media director at IPG Mediabrands, handling across key accounts such as Officeworks, Kmart and RAC. Prior to this, he led paid search for Reprise Perth, and also worked as a search specialist at Mediacom in Sydney.

“I’ve watched them grow into one of the best and most successful independent media agencies in Australia. The thing that excites me the most are the fresh ideas and great culture that is immediately present all the way through the business. I can’t wait to work across the diverse client base and further develop their performance product,” he stated, regarding his appointment.

MacDougall is the latest hire for Match & Wood which have been steadily adding to their ranks across both Perth and Melbourne in recent months. Former The Brand Agency media planner/buyer Jodie Allen has joined as communications advisor, Keleigh Moore has been appointed as communications manager from OMD and Tiffany Doan joins from Nunn Media as digital communications manager.

Match & Wood chief operating officer, Chris O’Keefe, said: “We’re so excited to have such an accomplished digital specialist join our national team. Having worked with Stuart in the past I know that he will bring a unique perspective and strategic, data-fuelled decision making to our clients’ businesses.”

The new additions come as Match & Wood wins a number of clients including Curtin University, Pentanet and Intelicare. 

Australia – Havas Media Group, the media division of global marketing and communications group Havas, has appointed Alex Wollacott, former activation account director at Omnicom Media Group’s digital marketing agency, Resolution Digital Australia, to assume the newly created role within the agency – performance director.

Wollacott brings with her over six years of strategic skills and experience. She has previously worked across search, social, and programmatic, as well as SEO channels, and managed a team to deliver digital strategy and implementation for top-tier media clients. In her most recent role, Wollacott led digital activation channels for clients in the tech, FMCG, finance, and leisure verticals. 

Commenting on her appointment, Wollacott said, “I’m thrilled to be joining an agency with such an impressive reputation for a wide range of capabilities and services. The opportunity to work with Virginia and the team to drive the continued success and growth of the Havas Performance offering was impossible to pass up.”

Meanwhile, Adam Steward, the head of performance at Havas Media Group, shared, “I’m very excited to work alongside Alex and continue to expand our Performance Media leadership team. Her experience and passion for making media drive success for clients make her a valuable addition to our rapidly expanding media team. I am looking forward to building on the fantastic momentum that we already have with Alex.”

Havas Media Group has also announced the recent appointment of Dan Johns, the new managing partner.