Dentsu Aotearoa has appointed Lisa Divett as its new Chief Strategy Officer. Divett will be tasked with driving the organisation's capabilities at the intersection of marketing, consulting, and technology.

Divett brings a wealth of experience to the role, having previously worked at agencies including Clemenger BBDO, Proximity New Zealand, and Colenso BBDO. She has also run her own consulting practice for the last two-and-a-half years, and served as Convenor of Judges for Effie Aotearoa for the past three years.

Of Ngāi Tūhoe and Pākehā descent, Divett is passionate about promoting diversity and opportunities for Māori in the creative industry. At Dentsu Aotearoa, she will lead a multi-disciplinary team of strategists working at the intersection of creative, media, and experience.

"Lisa’s experience in driving strategy that doesn’t just deliver growth for business, but adds real value to the world aligns with dentsu’s global philosophy of Business to Business to Society, meaning outcomes that are good for business and good for society," Dentsu Aotearoa CEO, Rob Harvey, said. "Her passion for promoting opportunities for Māori in the creative industry is genuine, and I know her expertise and energy are going to make an enormous impact across our business and with our clients."

Divett herself expressed excitement about her new role, stating, "My first advertising role was in a fully integrated agency, I loved solving problems by drawing upon the unique minds that are attracted to different disciplines and I'm excited that dentsu's model recognises the power of this approach. Creating ideas which leads us into the 'Never Before' gives me goose bumps. I can't wait to get started."

The appointment follows Dentsu Aotearoa’s recent recognition at the Cannes Lions, where it secured three awards for its 'Aid Aisle' campaign for Fresh Choice. It also comes on the heels of the appointment of Sam Yap-Choong as the GM of Data & Analytics for Dentsu Media.

“Lisa is a sharp thinker and strong addition to our ANZ strategy community. She will add value across the region with her experience in developing strategy for corporate and government businesses and deep capability in producing work that shapes culture and leaves an impression on people. As we reframe how we go to market we need people like Lisa who can think across practices of media, creative and CXM to help us drive innovation and impact," added David Halter, Chief Strategy Officer, dentsu ANZ.