Will Koukouras to lead Publicis Groupe ANZ sport and entertainment

Publicis Groupe have appointed Will Koukouras to the role of national director of Sport and Entertainment in Australia and New Zealand.

Effective immediately, Koukouras will be charged with developing sport and entertainment strategies, and integrated marketing campaigns aligned to clients’ media or communications strategies.

He joins Publicis Groupe after having worked as Group Manager Sport Sponsorship at Telstra for six years, where he led Australia’s largest sport sponsorship portfolio including the Telstra NRL and NRLW naming rights partnership, and AFL sponsorship.

Prior to that, Koukouras held an 11-year tenure at Optus, including as Brand Experience Senior Manager.

He will report to Publicis Groupe ANZ’s Chief Product Officer, Jason Tonelli.

Tonelli said: “Led by best-in-class thinking, our sport and entertainment offering is a critical part of Publicis’ connected platform strategy.

"It offers our Groupe customers an opportunity to further their engagement in live sports and entertainment, such as music, as well to enter the ever-growing e-sports and gaming arena.

He added: “We are thrilled to have Will join our team to lead Publicis Sport & Entertainment. He will be part of a global community of sport and entertainment experts from around the world, helping to further our current offering, and enable our customers to thrive in this important area of consumer engagement.”

Koukouras said of his appointment: “It is such an exciting time to be working in the sport and entertainment sector, particularly with several major events and emerging technologies set to connect sports communities, accelerate women’s sport, and enable continued investment in gaming.

"I’m privileged to have the opportunity to work with the market-leading agencies across Publicis Groupe to create and deliver new commercial opportunities – connecting brands and consumers through shared passions," he added.