After strong growth M&C Saatchi, Wellington appoints three top locals to senior roles
M&C Saatchi, Wellington has appointed three leading lights from the Wellington industry to bolster its local office. Aaron White (near left) joins as general manager, Ben Pujji (far left) as head of digital and Guilherme Kunzler as senior digital designer.
Says Darryn Melrose, CEO M&C Saatchi New Zealand: “We’ve been growing very quickly in Wellington so the time was right for us to employ some top talent. Luckily for us, we’ve managed to get the very best Wellington has to offer. Aaron is someone I’ve been fortunate enough to have worked with in the past. He’s smart, he’s a great cultural fit for us, and clients absolutely love him. Having him as the General Manager of our Wellington operation means we have the person I consider to be the best agency brain in Wellington running our office.
“Ben is someone we met more recently, but who impressed us immediately. We’d heard that he was very savvy in digital but he’s way more than that. He’s a very clever guy across the board who just happens to be extraordinarily smart in the digital space. Having Ben as our Head of Digital means our clients have access to a range of skills that are needed to help solve business problems.”
Says White: “I’ve been watching what the team have been building since they’ve joined M&C Saatchi and I want to be part of it. I’ve always got on with Darryn, Dave and Tony and am looking forward to getting stuck in and doing what I think needs to be done for clients. Having Ben join at the same time was an added bonus. I’ve loved working with him and can’t wait to do even more together. Gui is a cracking guy as well and the current staff in the Wellington office are fantastic. This is going to be huge.”
The third person joining the M&C Saatchi team in Wellington is Guilherme Kunzler who joins as senior digital designer from Springload. Says Dave King, ECD of M&C Saatchi: “Gui contacted me before he left Brazil and I wanted to employ him on the spot. I’ve worked with some very talented digital designers and I’d rank Guilherme right up there with the best of them. I’m very happy to finally have him on board.”
White was previously general Mmanager of AIM Proximity and also had account and planning responsibilities across some key Clemenger BBDO clients. He has many years experience across both client side and agency side and has worked on brands such as Kiwibank , New Zealand Post, IAG and Telecom.
Pujji has an enviable history in digital from its earliest days, from business analysis and interaction design through to marketing. He has run his own digital business, been strategy director for DNA Design and was most recently the head of digital strategy at AIM Proximity/Clemenger BBDO.
Kunzler has nine years digital experience, mostly in Brazil, one of the world’s leading countries in digital marketing. Most recently he was senior visual designer at Springload in Wellington.