Bastion Shine, a prominent marketing and communications agency, has announced the creation of two new leadership roles as part of its expansion strategy. The move sees Annabelle Pitkin appointed as Chief Client Officer, a role aimed at bolstering client engagement and enhancing the agency's delivery across its diverse capabilities. John Pelasio, on the other hand, steps into the newly created role of Creative Lead Pou Arataki, designed to enrich the agency's communications with a te ao Māori perspective.

Pitkin brings over 12 years of experience at Bastion Shine to her new role, having previously worked at JWT in London and TBWA & Saatchi’s in New Zealand. Her appointment is expected to strengthen the agency's client engagement and delivery across its diverse capabilities.

"Delivering creative ideas that connect channels, products, and experiences is essential to building strong brands and driving business outcomes in the current communications landscape. Annabelle has an impressive track record of bringing together the agency's specialist capabilities to deliver integrated communications platforms for some of NZ's most innovative and successful businesses. I’m incredibly excited to have Annabelle step into this new leadership role focused on enhancing the connected customer experience for our clients," said Toby Sellers, Bastion Shine CEO.

Pelasio, who holds a Master of Arts, has over a decade of experience merging culture and creativity, including positions at NZME. His new role will see him act as a link between the Bastion Shine team and the Māori community, ensuring the agency's work authentically reflects the spirit of Aotearoa.

"Tāia te ao – my why is driven by a vision to shape a future where we have a visually bicultural Aotearoa. By weaving te ao Māori into every creative moment, I aim to inspire our team to craft work that resonates with today and sets the stage for a uniquely Aotearoa narrative," said Pelasio.

"I’m incredibly excited about John stepping into this new role and the possibilities it creates for our clients, our people, and our culture. His vision for authentically bringing te ao Māori principles to the ideas and experiences we create for our client partners is inspiring," added Sellers.

Bastion Shine, Australia’s largest independent full-service marketing and communications agency, boasts over 300 staff across Auckland, Wellington, Melbourne, Sydney, Canberra, Gold Coast, Brisbane, Los Angeles, and New York City.