R/GA Sydney lures ex-VML Australia’s Jeff Donios for senior technology director role

R/GA Sydney has announced it has further strengthened its expanding executive team with the addition of Jeff Donios (left) as senior technology director.

Reporting into Nick Coronges, global chief technology officer R/GA, Donios will be responsible for building and leading technology teams, establishing the technology capabilities of the agency and helping the agency to grow overall. An expert in technology development with over 14 years’ experience, Donios joins R/GA Sydney from VML Australia where he was technical director.

Says Jim Moffatt, EVP managing director APAC, R/GA: “R/GA creates breakthroughs at the intersection of technology, creative and business, so it is very important to have a senior technology person with these three sensibilities as the Sydney office grows. Jeff’s experience at creating new powerful technologies that attract and retain customers for global brands made him a perfect fit for us.”

Since officially opening its doors in January 2013, R/GA’s Sydney office has enjoyed a period of steady growth, with hires in creative, technology and experience design disciplines made recently. The appointment of Donios will complement this growth and enable the office to grow both its technology team and current client portfolio. Donios replaces Bryan Jones, senior technical director, who recently transferred to R/GA’s LA office to help establish its technology offering.

Says Donios: “R/GA is an iconic agency known for its capability to integrate creative, technology & business. I am excited to help grow the agency overall and build its technology capabilities as we look to continue to scale up in the rapidly evolving Australian market. Even more exciting is being able to work side-by-side some very well-known and talented people – I can’t wait to get going.”

Prior to joining R/GA, Donios worked at VML New York and VML Australia as technical director. During his time working at VML Australia, Donios architected and managed the product development of the surf industry’s first GPS enabled watch for Rip Curl, winning 3 Cannes Lions for his work. Here he worked alongside clients such as Kellogg’s, Commonwealth Bank, Gatorade, Emirates, Revlon and NRL. Donios has also helped to double the technology team head count at VML New York, and double agency head count and revenue at VML Australia.

Before joining VML New York, Donios worked as a technology consultant for Capgemini, and prior to that, web systems manager and architect at Callaway Golf, where he helped establish and manage the internal digital marketing group, managing all brands and its ad agencies in the portfolio.