Y&R New Zealand appoints Rainger Rolfe’s James Johnston in client services director role

Y&R NZ has appointed James Johnston to the newly created role of client services director effective immediately.

With more than sixteen years in the advertising industry, both here and in the UK, Johnston has been instrumental in developing successful strategies and delivering effective end-to-end marketing initiatives, across a broad range of industries and sectors.

Y&R NZ managing director, Steve Kane said Johnston is a proven leader in client management and his energy and enthusiasm would be a welcome addition to the Y&R NZ management team.

Says Kane: “James’ appointment is fantastic for our portfolio of clients as he’s a seasoned campaigner across specialist brands, high volume retail and fully integrated campaigns. And he’ll be a tremendous boon for the account management team as he brings a wealth of experience in developing strong client relationships.”

Johnston will be in charge of the day-to-day leadership of the Westfield business as well as agency and client business growth, with responsibility for leading the agency’s account management team.

Says Johnston: “For years I’ve been impressed with Y&R’s creative problem solving. When I sat down with the leadership team to discuss their ambitions for the agency I was delighted to learn of their obsession with delivering real results for real clients. And working with a brilliant group of suits across a damn desirable bunch of clients is a pretty good reason to leap out of bed every day.”

Prior to joining Y&R NZ Johnston was business director at Rainger Rolfe. He’s been exposed to all facets of the marketing mix, including; research, sales analysis, new category, product and packaging development, advertising, PR, media planning and buying.