Seven West Media has announced the appointment of Melissa Hopkins as chief marketing and audience officer, reporting to managing director and chief executive officer James Warburton.
The news comes after previous CMO, Charlotte Valente, announced that she was leaving Seven in October.
Hopkins, who will join Seven West Media in March next year, is currently vice president marketing CMO at Optus. She has worked at Optus since late 2016 and previously held the roles of head of consumer marketing and senior director of marketing and communications.
Hopkins returned to Australia in late 2015 following 20 years working overseas with brands such as the British Army, Absolut Vodka, Procter & Gamble, the UK Government, Fujitsu, Docomo and Vodafone (where she was global head of marketing).
At Seven West Media, Hopkins will be responsible for driving audience numbers and growth across the entire portfolio.
Her remit covers Seven West Media brand strategy, consumer and trade marketing, audience research, promotions, publicity, social media and corporate communications. She will also partner closely with the Commercial and Content teams to deliver their ambitions.
Warburton said: “Melissa is a fantastic addition to the team that has made Seven Australia’s most-watched total TV network and one of the best-performing companies in the local media sector.
“A highly commercial, creative and energetic senior leader with over 25 years’ global experience both agency and client side, Melissa has deep consumer and enterprise experience across a wide range of sectors and high-profile brands. She has a strong track record in driving award winning and commercially successful brand initiatives and platforms, leading to strong market share, revenue and earnings growth.
“I am very much looking forward to welcoming her to Seven,” he said.
Hopkins said: “It is a privilege to be joining one of Australia’s most iconic brands at a period where there is such strong ambition for growth and transformation. I look forward to joining such a visionary leadership team to drive growth and shake up the category”
Hopkins is also a strategic advisor to the National Mental Health Commission and an advisory board member at ADMA.