Matt Houltham named CEO of Starcom

Publicis Groupe ANZ has appointed Matt Houltham as CEO of Starcom Australia

He will begin in the new role in July and will report to Imogen Hewitt, Chief Media Officer, Publicis Groupe ANZ.

Houltham brings 25 years of experience to the role in managing media and strategy agencies across ANZ, the US and the UK, as was previously CEO of Havas Media ANZ and MD of Naked Communications in New York and Melbourne.

He also previously led the digital media operations at the former ZenithOptimedia, now known as Zenith Australia, which is part of Publicis Groupe. Houltham also played a pivotal role in scaling market research platform Glow in his capacity as global Chief Marketing Officer.

Houltham joins Chief Operating Officer, Louise Romeo and Chief Client & Growth Officer, Scott McCaffrey on the Starcom Australia executive leadership team, working closely to ensure the continued growth and success of the agency business.

Hewitt said: "In his various leadership positions, Matt has consistently demonstrated his ability to deliver continuous innovation and achieve outstanding results for clients. He is also a leader with a reputation for positively engaging and developing talent.

"Matt’s experience across media and creative – alongside his leadership in digital media transformation – is a rare and powerful blend that will ensure the continued growth of the Starcom business in Australia. We are delighted to welcome Matt to the team."

Houltham said of his appointment: "Starcom Australia has a fantastic legacy of strong client partnerships built on delivering effective, insight-led media solutions. That success stems from a stellar team who is ambitious, curious and deeply collaborative. I’m excited to join the crew to build on that foundation.

"With expanded data and technology capabilities through recent Publicis Groupe acquisitions, we are well positioned to elevate Starcom Australia’s impact even further – ensuring that everything we do moves people and business metrics. I cannot wait to get started."

Top image: Matt Houltham and Imogen Hewitt

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