Sydney, Australia – Houston, a brand strategy and design firm, has bolstered its leadership team with the promotion of Gretel Maltabarow to managing director and Stacey Saunders to general manager, the appointments will take effect immediately. They will be directly reporting directly to Stu O’Brien, CEO & Founder of Houston.
In her new position as managing director, Maltabarow will have the opportunity to further develop Houston’s core competencies and creative and strategic rigour, promote cross-business divisional collaboration, cultivate new business prospects, and maintain her existing clientele. In order to promote the company’s continued success, she will also keep heading Houston’s account service division and collaborating closely with O’Brien and Saunders. Maltabarow, who formerly worked as group account director, has been with Houston for eight years.
As the new general manager, Saunders’ responsibilities include pipeline delivery and management, improving business performance and agency culture, and driving innovation through system changes and talent development. Saunders, who was previously chief of staff, will celebrate a decade in Houston in 2024, where she has held numerous internal agency operations responsibilities.
Speaking about the appointments, O’brien said, “But most importantly their respective promotions demonstrate their ongoing commitment to our team and shows future Houston leaders, that we’ll nurture talent and create new opportunities and pathways for our next generation of leaders to grow. I can’t wait to watch Gretel and Stacey use their wealth of knowledge to drive the business forward and create the next era of Houston.”
Meanwhile, Maltabarow stated, “Having watched the business grow and evolve over the past eight years, I’m excited by this next challenge. I feel further empowered to make a positive impact with our amazing team and clients by elevating the agency’s offering, and bring together the cross-function expertise of our teams to power client growth. I’m grateful for this opportunity, and couldn’t be happier to share the promotional limelight with the very well-earned step up for Stacey Saunders to general manager.”
Lastly, Saunders said, “Over the past decade at Houston, I have experienced all facets of our business and feel so excited to lead Houston into its next growth phase alongside the powerhouses that are Gretel and Stu. I am also very excited that my new role will allow me to broaden my impact and provide mentorship across the agency focusing on development and growth for the team.”