AUCKLAND, Today: Bastion has named Cheuk Chiang as its new Group CEO, effective 1 July 2025. Co-founder Jack Watts becomes Executive Director, focusing on strategic growth opportunities.
Bastion’s now Australasia’s largest integrated marketing and comms network, built on deep client relationships, innovation and entrepreneurial spirit.
Launched in 2009 by brothers Fergus and Jack Watts, the agency has grown to over 350 staff across 10 cities and five countries.
“The past 16 years have been an extraordinary journey; to build a global business from scratch in any industry is something rare,” said Jack Watts. “An integral part of the growth and longevity of Bastion has been our continued evolution, knowing that what got us here, won’t get us there.”
“Working with Cheuk as CEO of our ANZ business over the past year has been eye-wateringly fun. He possesses a remarkable skill set, with the proven experience to lead not just a team of 350, but teams as large as 3,000.
“I’m excited to see the impact that Cheuk will now have across our broader group. Personally, I’m energised to spend a lot more time working with our people to solve our clients’ biggest problems with new offerings and capabilities that help give them a competitive advantage.”
“An integral part of the growth and longevity of Bastion has been our continued evolution, knowing that what got us here, won’t get us there.” – Jack Watts
Chiang will lead Bastion’s global growth strategy, drawing on his leadership experience at Dentsu and Omnicom and success across APAC markets.
“It’s an honour to take the reins from Jack and lead Bastion into its next phase,” said Chiang. “We are uniquely positioned to meet the needs of the modern marketer through our worldclass integrated end-to-end offering.
“Our global platform enables us to deliver truly integrated, best-in-class work with local insight and I’m energised to build on this strong foundation. Looking ahead, our vision is to scale Bastion to be the world’s strongest independent network driving innovation, embracing emerging technologies and expanding our global footprint while staying true to our entrepreneurial spirit.”
“A lot of agencies talk a good game when it comes to integration however very few can deliver that with deep expertise. At Bastion, we are proud to consistently deliver truly integrated campaigns that put our clients in a position of strength.
“Bastion has always been very humble when it comes to promoting itself, however it’s time that the world sees what we are truly capable of,” comments Cheuk.
“Cheuk is the right person to lead our people, clients and partners into the next chapter putting them in a position of strength and I look forward to supporting him in unlocking the full potential of our global network.” – Fergus Watts
Bastion is investing in tech and AI to power campaign delivery, insights, and innovation across its global network. “Our end-to-end offering is being supercharged by AI, enabling us to deliver smarter strategies and more effective results for our clients,” said Chiang. “This is not just evolution, it’s transformation and it will be central to Bastion’s global growth strategy.”
Chair Fergus Watts, who was Group CEO for Bastion’s first decade, will continue to guide long-term strategy and performance.
“This is more than just a leadership change, it’s a natural progression for our business,” said Fergus Watts. “Cheuk’s appointment is the culmination of a 5-year plan to ensure Bastion does not fall victim to what hampers most agency’s growth, which is an ongoing dependency on the founders.
“This business is bigger than any one person. It is and always has been about delivering exceptional results for our clients. Our ambition is to build one of the strongest independent agencies in the world. Having done that across Australia and New Zealand, it is now time to cement our strategy across the USA and focus our further expansion into Asia.
“Cheuk is the right person to lead our people, clients and partners into the next chapter putting them in a position of strength and I look forward to supporting him in unlocking the full potential of our global network.”
With fresh leadership and a clear global vision, Bastion is set to stay independent and push the boundaries of what an integrated agency can deliver.
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