DDB Group Sydney hires ex-Ogilvy Singapore’s Rowan Avis in the role of digital planning director

DDB Group Sydney has announced the appointment of one of the true international leaders in digital planning, Rowan Avis. Rowan joins the world class Planning Unit as digital planning director. The Planning Unit has grown exponentially over the last three years, now including 17 team members across the traditional, digital and social space.

DDB Group Sydney managing director, Chris Brown, said he is delighted to welcome Avis to the DDB Group Sydney.

Says Brown: “Rowan is truly a best in class practitioner and her expertise, insights and innovative approach to strategy and implementation will make her the perfect compliment to partner lead analyst James Quinlan.”

Avis joins DDB Group Sydney after three years as regional digital director IBM Asia Pacific for Ogilvy & Mather (Singapore) where she lead the digital media offering for the IBM brand across Asia and growth markets.

Says Avis: “I am delighted to be joining DDB Group Sydney as they are global leaders in strategy and have a fully integrated digital service offering situated within the heart of the organisation. This team is made up of specialist digital experts ranging I skills from technology platform development, UX, Social Intelligence, Community management, SEO and digital content management. I am looking forward to working alongside leading global strategic thinkers such as managing director of strategy and innovation, Leif Stromnes.”

Avis also spent seven years at MindShare a leading global digital agency based in London, working on worldwide clients such as Ford Motor Group, Rolex and HSBC, before migrating to Australia and working as managing partner for Ikon Communications for two years before heading to Singapore with Ogilvy in 2009.

Stromnes said Avis’ appointment comes at a vital time for the Strategic Planning Unit.

Says Stromnes: “A strong focus for the team over the next 12 months will be to grow the content and multi platform capabilities of the unit. We follow a stringent process when developing proposals and campaigns for clients and we believe it is essential to undertake sufficient social listening to develop a solution that is strong in strategy and leads to a significant increase in consumer engagement. We believe Rowan will play a pivotal role in delivering our clients the best solutions.”