Emotive turns up the heat with two senior Coogee hires

Independent creative agency Emotive has strengthened its Coogee team with two senior appointments, naming Praveen Vaidyanathan Strategy Director and Karen Liddle Resource Manager.

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The hires follow a run of new business wins for the agency, including THE ICONIC, Nespresso, El Jannah and AMP North. Both appointments are effective immediately.

Global strategy experience lands in Coogee

Vaidyanathan joins Emotive after serving as VP, Strategy Director at Saatchi & Saatchi New York, where he led strategy across Campbell Snacks’ US portfolio.

He previously worked as Strategy Director at VICE / Virtue Scandinavia and Khanna\Reidinga Amsterdam. Vaidyanathan began his planning career at George Patterson Y&R Melbourne.

His appointment further expands Emotive’s strategy department following the arrival of Clement Simon as Head of Social & Content earlier this year.

Vaidyanathan said: “For a not-so-beach person, working in a dive-shop-turned-agency in a suit, overlooking Coogee Oval, meditative waves on one side and distracting seagulls on the other, felt like just the right amount of juxtaposition.”

He added: “Of course, working with legends like Sebastian Revell and Gavin McLeod every day is a feast."

Liddle to connect production and resourcing

Liddle brings experience spanning production, project management, traffic and studio operations, following a career across Y&R, Leo Burnett and BMF.

Her role will cover both production and resourcing. Following the launch of Emotive Productions in May, she will also focus on integration between the agency’s creative and production businesses.

Liddle said: “I’m so lucky to have found a group of like-minded people to work with. The values, the energy, the sheer hunger to "craft the hell out" of every single piece of work is exactly my kind of chaos, passion and love.”

Building out the agency

Emotive Chief Strategy Officer Sebastian Revell said the two hires would play different but complementary roles in the agency’s work.

“They are both our newest architects behind creating ideas that change how people feel. Because the more strongly an idea makes people feel, the more attention it generates and the more commercial impact it earns,” Revell said.

On Vaidyanathan, Revell said: “We’re absolutely thrilled that he’s seen that in what we’re building in Coogee, and we couldn’t be happier to have his cultural astuteness, and fondness for a suit on board.”

Revell said Liddle had already brought “a unique blend of creativity and operational precision” to the business, while also praising her “kindness and consideration for those around her”.

Continuing Emotive’s run of beach-themed people announcements, the agency said Vaidyanathan will focus on shaping strategic problems and challenges, while Liddle will help ensure the resulting work gets delivered effectively.