Red Engine appoints Rowan Avis to strategy director role and Huw Morris as creative director

As content marketing continues to advance with greater emphasis on applying data to deliver compelling consumer experiences, Red Engine has made two key senior hires ahead of its next growth phase.

The Sydney-based creative content agency, which was recently named in BRW’s prestigious Fast Starters list, has added DDB Sydney head of digital planning Rowan Avis as strategy director and Huw Morris, a former associate creative director at world renowned advertising agencies Taxi and Crispin Porter + Bogusky.

Avis (above left) joins after more than three years at DDB Sydney. Prior to that she was regional digital director across Asia and growth markets at Neo@Ogilvy. Before working for creative agencies she was head of digital media at Ikon for two years joining from Mindshare London where she worked as managing partner responsible for the international digital media requirements of clients including HSBC, Rolex, BP and Ford.

New creative director Morris (above right) joins from News Corp where he was national senior creative. He worked in Canada for more than 10 years as associate creative director at kbs+, senior art director at Taxi and digital art director at CP+B and has done stints at Ogilvy & Mather, Leo Burnett and VCCP.

Julian Townley (above, centre), managing director at Red Engine said the appointments of Avis and Morris represented a commitment from the agency to fuse data and creativity to maximise engagement with audiences.

Says Townley: “As content marketing evolves there is a real opportunity to blend data analytics and creative thinking to deliver effective and more targeted communications for our clients. In Rowan and Huw we have two leaders in their respective fields who understand how to harness this shifting landscape and we are delighted to have them on board.”

Says Avis: “By effectively using data we can develop compelling content that delivers pioneering individualised experiences. We’re only at the beginning of what’s possible in this area and Red Engine has signalled its intent to get active in this space which is why I’m excited to have joined them.”

Says Morris: “Red Engine is an agency built for the future. I feel we are forging a new creative roadmap in the content space, leveraging clever data and insights to develop campaign platforms that are in sync with how consumers behave today. It’s exciting to be part of this change.”

The duo will work across Red Engine’s clients including Telstra, CommBank, Metcash, Cordell, Jalna and Kimberly-Clark.