Brand experience agency PLAY continues staff expansion with two new management hires

November 30 2011, 10:50 am | BY Lynchy | 1 Comment

Imelda and John.jpgOn the back of their most successful year to date, Brand Experience Agency PLAY Communication continues its recent staff expansion, further bolstering its management team with two new senior hires.

Bringing a combined 35 years marketing experience to the agency, Imelda Hodson and John Rash (pictured) join the independent agency as client services director and head of marketing respectively.

Hodson steps into her role following the management reshuffle earlier this month, which saw current managing director Shani Langi take the operational reigns from co-founder and director Johannes Weissenbaeck.

With an extensive FMCG background in experiential and promotional marketing, Hodson joins the PLAY team after 4 years directing the Lion Nathan BTL account and managing an 11-strong account service team. Prior to this she worked for agencies and clients in the UK including Kraft, Kellogg’s, Pepsico, Mattel, Findus, Birds Eye.

Rash brings a blue chip strategic approach from his time at Australia’s leading creative agencies directing global and local accounts such as Pepsi, Unilever, Diageo, Lion Nathan, Kelloggs and Heineken.

This, alongside his recent roles as peer group executive director and founder of Brand New Sounds where he led the creation and management of music properties Bacardi Express, V Energy Hear More, and Tooheys Uncharted, will enhance PLAY’s current brand content, sponsorship leverage and strategic offerings.

The pair join PLAY after several new business wins for the agency including projects with Accor, World Movies, Honda and Crown Group, and an almost doubling of the PLAY team in the last twelve months. The agency is also a finalist in three categories at the B&T Agency of the Year Awards to be held this Friday.

Of the new hires Langi said: “We are thrilled to intensify our offering through the appointment of two incredibly experienced and accomplished team members in John and Imelda. PLAY has been through a steady and exciting growth period across the past 12 months and this addition to the team will help us continue to deliver on Client requirements and further harness our ‘entrepreneurial spirit’.”