AUCKLAND, Today: Bastion Aotearoa has wasted no time following its appointment as creative agency partner for KFC New Zealand, announcing three senior creative hires as it ramps up its ambitions in the local market.
Leading the move is newly appointed Creative Director Courtney Dow, who brings 17 years of experience across New Zealand and the UK. Dow has worked at VCCP, JWT and, most recently, DDB Aotearoa, where he led creative on the New World account.
His career spans everything from Hollywood talent to talking animals, along with multiple Agency of the Year wins and personal awards.
Joining in April are copywriter and art director duo Freddie von Trott and Sophie Douglas, known as Doug, who arrive from AKQA Sydney.
Together, they bring experience across brands including Volvo, Google, Campari and Westfield, adding international perspective and creative sharpness to Bastion Aotearoa’s offering.
“Courtney, Freddie and Doug bring a rare mix of craft, curiosity and commercial instinct. They’re exactly the kind of people who push ideas further and make them matter in the real world, which is what Bastion Aotearoa is all about.” – Oli Green, Chief Creative Officer
The hires come as Bastion continues to build on recent momentum, backed by a model that brings advertising, experience, media, insights, digital, design, social, consumer PR and corporate communications together under one roof.
“Winning KFC was a statement. These hires are us backing it. Courtney is one of the best creative leaders in this market, and Freddie and Doug are exactly the kind of talent we want shaping the next chapter of this agency,” said Toby Sellers, CEO of Bastion Aotearoa.
“Our purpose is putting people, brands and organisations into a position of strength and that starts with having the right people ourselves, he added.”
Chief Creative Officer Oli Green said the appointments add more weight to the agency’s creative ambition. “We’re building a team that cares deeply about the work and the impact it has.
“Courtney, Freddie and Doug bring a rare mix of craft, curiosity and commercial instinct. They’re exactly the kind of people who push ideas further and make them matter in the real world, which is what Bastion Aotearoa is all about.”
The appointments also reflect Bastion’s wider push to combine the scale of a global network with the agility of an independent, while continuing to invest in ideas that deliver measurable impact.
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