What you need to know:

• Mike Wilson and Simon Porter have joined the leadership team of indie agency Hatched as it launches a Sydney office.
• Wilson is a former CEO and Chairman of Havas Media Group, and he will be Sydney Chairman.
• Porter has been Managing Director of H/Commerce, Havas’ commerce division. He will be Head of Retail.
• The agency will have a retail focus.

Indie agency Hatched has opened a Sydney office, hiring former Naked founder and Havas Media Group CEO Mike Wilson as its Chairman and Havas’ H/Commerce managing director Simon Porter to lead its retail and retail media division.

“I know what you’re thinking: here’s another one of the usual suspects on the agency leadership merry-go-round,” Wilson said in a statement.

“But my intention for Hatched Sydney is to empower tomorrow’s agency CEOs by advising and supporting the incredible talent we have joining us… There’s a real stagnation in agency models in Australia and it’s time for a disruptive player to shake up the Sydney market.”

The Sydney office will have a retail focus, leveraging Porter’s experience in that space. Porter sold retail and shopper marketing business BD Network Australia to Havas in 2016. Prior to that he launched iris Worldwide in the Australian market and led retail operations for The Marketing Store in London and Sydney.

Porter said: “A number of agencies are looking to tap into the emerging retail media market but Hatched Sydney will put this at the heart of the business.”