PHD Melbourne has announced the promotion of two members of its leadership team.
Kathryn Weatherlake steps into the new role of general manager – retail, as Lizzy O’Connor is appointed to the role of group business director.
The new appointments, effective immediately, reflect the continued growth of the agency and recognise the important contribution both Weatherlake and O’Connor have made to PHD Melbourne’s ongoing success.
Weatherlake, who has worked alongside PHD Melbourne’s managing director Simon Lawson since PHD Melbourne opened its doors back in 2012, will step into the newly created role and assume responsibility for the relationship with all PHD Melbourne’s expansive group of retail clients.
“The last 10 years at PHD Melbourne have been an amazing journey that I feel proud to have been a part of. Our client base has expanded significantly, particularly in the retail sector and it makes sense to look at a specialist structure for this vertical,” Weatherlake said.
“I’m looking forward to building on the great work we do with this group of clients and taking on the challenge of supporting the broader PHD Melbourne Team,” she added.
O’Connor, who has been the business director of ANZ Bank since 2019, steps up into her first client leadership role as group business director across a number of PHD Melbourne clients including Priceline, Tennis Australia, Bakers Delight and Porsche.
On her new appointment, O’Connor said: “After a brilliant three and a half years working on ANZ Bank, I’m grateful for the opportunity to make this next leap in my career. I’m looking forward to taking on a new challenge and working with more of our clients in the creative and supportive environment that we’re committed to fostering at PHD.”
PHD Melbourne’s managing director Lawson said of the appointments: “Kathryn and Lizzy are both highly accomplished media professionals with long track records of driving exceptional outcomes for their clients and their teams.
“I’m really pleased we’ve been able to give them the growth they both so richly deserve, and I’m sure they’ll be enormously successful in their new roles,” he added.
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Top image left and right: Kathryn Weatherlake and Lizzy O’Connor