Rory Heffernan has been appointed as the new Chief Executive Officer of Atomic 212°, effective from 1 November, taking over from Clare Fenner, who resigned earlier this month and will leave the agency this week.

Heffernan has been with Atomic 212° since 2010, beginning his tenure in the Sydney office before relocating to Melbourne in 2014. He was appointed General Manager of the Melbourne office in 2019 and took on the role of National Managing Director in February 2022.

Atomic 212° has experienced significant growth in staff, billings, and revenue over the past two years. The agency has won several awards, including Global Independent Agency of the Year (Media) and Global Digital Innovation Agency of the Year in Campaign's Global Agency of the Year Awards in June 2024, and Best Agency Culture and Talent at the 2024 MFA Awards in September. According to the FY 2023 report from COMvergence, Atomic 212° also ranked #1 among independent agencies in Australia in new business wins, including client retentions.

"The past two years have been remarkable for our business, with significant growth in staff, billings and revenue," Heffernan said. "The refinement of our product across trading, data, performance and strategy has led to great results for clients old and new alike, and I'm incredibly proud of the internal development we've had for our people - from our leadership team to our industry-leading People & Culture program."

Barry O'Brien OAM, Chairman of Atomic 212°, said: "This is one of the better things I get to do: to proudly make this announcement as Chairman of Australia's largest independent media agency. Good things come to those who wait and today is a wonderful moment for all of Atomic 212 and a moment 14 years in the making. Rory was our first employee, and he has grown from the first day he walked into our company. He has played a key role in the growth and success of our clients, our people and our agency. It's fantastic to see him step up into the CEO position and I know he is going to do a great job.

O'Brien added: "Rory will take the reins seamlessly from the great work done by Claire Fenner to lead the team and the company into the future, having set the bar at the highest level for himself and the team with the extraordinary success we have enjoyed over the past few years."

James Dixon, Chief Data Officer and Partner at Atomic 212°, said: "Rory has been with us since the start and has made an invaluable contribution to the success of Atomic 212°. I can't think of anyone better and more deserving of becoming our new CEO."