What you need to know:

• Prior has joined IPG Mediabrands' media agency UM and takes on the role of Chief Media Partnerships Officer - Mediabrands declined to comment on the hire
• The role sees Prior take a market-facing position, working at creating strong partnerships between media owners and UM's client leads
• Her appointment was made prior to the decision from the agency group to freeze all new hires, with Prior accepting the position late last year

Former Chief Investment Officer for MediaCom, Nicole Prior (nee Turley) has joined IPG Mediabrands' UM in a newly created role, Chief Media Partnerships Officer.

Most recently, Prior had been working with GroupM's addressable TV agency Finecast as a client consultant, tasked with driving early growth across the business alongside Managing Director Brett Poole.

In the newly created position, Prior is tasked with creating closer partnerships with media owners and UM's key client leads. Mi3 understands that the expectation is to move UM away from its previous "trading orientated" approach to media.

One media executive who did not want to be named praised the hire of Prior, adding that her appointment and new role will give UM a strong front-facing executive who will help educate client leads further around the benefits of long-standing partnerships as opposed to transactional trading behaviour.

She has also worked for Network Ten, Seven Network, Ikon Communications and MediaCom. She has a deep knowledge of the media landscape, with an understanding of the influences both international and local that impact the industry, as well as a clear view of the future of media. 

While not directly linked to the COVID crisis, another media owner said the role will also be useful for both marketers and media owners at a time where clients are spending more energy and time understanding how their media dollars are being spent.

Andrew Murray, UM's current National Head of Trading, will also support Prior in the newly created role.

It is understood that Prior's appointment was made prior to the decision by the agency group to freeze its hiring policy in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak and subsequent lockdown.

Mediabrands also revealed that it would be cutting staff pay by 10%, as well as moving to a 9-day fortnight and investigating further cost-saving measures - which would see a small amount of redundancies.

"She is a member of UM’s national leadership team is helping lead the development of future media trading models that focus on clients’ business outcomes. Prior accepted her position in late 2019 for a start in early 2020," An IPG Mediabrands spokesperson told Mi3. 

"She is a highly experienced senior leader with a 20-year career in media. Over the past year whilst consulting for many companies and industry bodies like the MFA, Boomtown and ThinkTV, Prior has had the opportunity to reflect on broader media development, such as what makes the industry great and what makes it tough, while also planning her areas for personal and professional growth."

UM is also the lead media agency for several high-profile clients across Australia, that have each had to adjust their strategies rapidly in the wake of COVID-19, including the master media account for the Australian Government, Kmart, Coca-Cola, Lion and Nestle.

Government spend has been one of the strongest since the lockdown began, while takeaway alcohol sales have also seen a boom, despite the obvious decline in hospitality sales due to pub, bar and restaurant closures. Kmart also saw a major rush, as people scrambled for entertainment, home office supplies and more.

Last month, Martin Brown, AANA chair and Nestlé's director of e-business, strategy and marketing discussed how his brand is connecting with consumers during this period, adding that he found it surprising that brands still needed to be reminded of marketing's fundamentals, advising marketers that they shouldn't get caught up in the "urgency to get out and talk".

Elsewhere in the Mediabrands business, long-serving executive and MD of Magna Global, the group's media trading and investment arm, Victor Corones has exit after 15-years.

"The structure of Magna’s leadership will be advised in due course as we are, of course, fully committed to the business as a key part of Mediabrands. There is a strong and effective management team at Magna, fully supported by the strategy and investment leads in our individual businesses," a statement from IPG Mediabrands said.