Initiative Sydney hires Julie Schougaard as client director and Joe Perkins as digital client director

Initiative Sydney has announced two senior hires to strengthen the agency’s client leadership and digital development capabilities.
 
Julie Schougaard joins Initiative as client director and Joe Perkins will join as digital client director.

Schougaard will join the agency from OMD where she works on Telstra, developing and managing the telco’s partnerships across its brand, sponsorship and loyalty portfolios. The Telstra partnerships included the AFL, NRL and The Australian Ballet. Previous to OMD she was brand manager of strategic partnerships and brand platforms at one of Denmark’s major telecommunications companies. She starts work at Initiative on March 9 and will report to client partner Damien Terakes.

Perkins will join Initiative as digital client director. He has more than eight years of experience in the industry working at Mediacom, The Sound Campaign and most recently at MEC, where he has been leading digital planning for clients including Alliance, Singapore Airlines and Tiger Airlines.

 
Says Lee Leggett, CEO, Initiative Australia: “Both Joe and Julie bring great experience and digital skills to the agency. We are excited about the contribution they will make and look forward to them starting here in Sydney.”
 
Says Perkins: “I was very attracted to the Initiative opportunity for two main reasons. First is the rigor the agency has in place around data management and attribution. The second is the integrated work the agency teams share with other communications disciplines within the IPG Mediabrands group. It is a very holistic communications environment.”
 
Perkins starts work on February 23 and will report to client partner Andrew Lamb.