Partners + Napier Announces New Hires

Even as the impact of the pandemic continues to be felt, integrated creative company Partners + Napier has been successfully recruiting impressive talent from all over the US to drive the national agency’s continued growth and momentum.

“Since 2020, the agency has added new and incremental business from the likes of Smashburger, MDLIVE, Real Good Fish, and Rip Van, while opening Gammut Productions as our own in-house content production studio--even while working primarily remotely,” said Partners + Napier CEO Courtney Cotrupe. “This has spurred our recent flurry of new hires, with Rochester’s reputation as a great place to live helping to attract impressive talent from major cities, each of whom was looking to improve their quality of life and land at an ambitious, brand-building agency determined to leave a mark on culture.”

MATT SCHWARTZ, DIRECTOR, GROWTH

In his new role as director, growth, Rochester native Matt Schwartz will lead all business development efforts at Partners + Napier, including strategic prospecting and pitching within the agency’s key verticals, which include health & wellness, food & beverage and technology. He is also tasked with building and strengthening industry partnerships, and will oversee the agency’s PR, social, content development and internal communications.

Schwartz moved back to his hometown at the onset of the pandemic in 2020 from New York City, where he continued to work virtually in business development for Mother New York. He spent more than five years at Mother, three of which working in account management for such clients as Target, JW Marriott and Instagram.

“Matt is joining us at an opportune time, when we have incredible momentum and are ready to launch into our next stage of growth. He brings impressive experience, perspective and personality to the agency – and has a deep understanding of account management, organic and net new growth strategy, and building for the future,” said Sharon Napier, Executive Chair & Founder, Partners + Napier. “New business is the lifeblood of any agency, and Matt is the infusion we need to continue building towards our vision.”

LISA DELLA PIANA – ASSOCIATE CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Lisa Della Piana has moved to Rochester from Boston, where she spent six years at MullenLowe working on such clients as Royal Caribbean, JetBlue, US Cellular and ULTA Beauty, most recently as an associate creative director. Other agency stints and client experience include Forsman & Bordsfor (American Express), McGarry Bowen (UAL, Marriott) and Digitas (Comcast). It was at MullenLowe where she first worked with Rob Kottkamp, who joined Partners + Napier in mid-2019 as Chief Creative Officer.

In her new role, Della Piana will work across integrated pieces of business like MDLIVE and Saputo, serving as a key creative voice and champion alongside colleagues from Media, Strategy and Production. She will also be the lead creative on New Business.

“Lisa brings an incredible amount of creative talent and business experience to the agency. She finds opportunity in everything that she works on, always comes to the table with unexpected solutions, and she pushes herself as much as she pushes the people she works with. Lisa is a rare talent in our industry and we are very excited to have her,” said Kottkamp.

JANINE PERRY, DIRECTOR, STRATEGY

Joining Partners + Napier as director, strategy is Janine Perry, who will help lead the agency’s commitment to “audience-led” insights, specifically aimed at amplifying the briefing process in ways that drive deeper creative impact.  Beyond her work with Fortune 100 brands, Perry has also developed widely adopted DE&I initiatives focused on fostering inclusive employee cultures and advancing brands’ ability to resonate with diverse audiences.  

Perry will be working from Washington D.C., where she was senior strategist, brand and multicultural at Edelman. She has also held key strategy roles at sparks & honey, DigitasLBi, and McGarry Bowen, all in New York City. 

“We’re incredibly eager to unleash Janine’s thinking on key pieces of business. We anticipate her experience will have an immediate impact on both the agency and our clients’ ability to find new opportunities for growth,” said CJ Gaffney, VP, brand strategy at Partners + Napier.

RACHEL MEYER – DIRECTOR OF MEDIA

In her new role, Rachel Meyer is working closely with Jordan Murphy, VP, group media director at Partners + Napier, to continue building and enhancing Partners & Napier’s media discipline, which was fully integrated into the agency in 2018. With a keen grasp of the digital media environment, Meyer creates and evaluates media strategies based on an audience-led approach to drive and reach clients’ business goals.

Meyer moved across the country from San Francisco, where she had been working as an associate media director at Dentsu McGarry Bowen on accounts including Dr. Scholl’s, Pacific Gas & Electric and Microsoft. Prior to that, she worked at UM Worldwide in New York City on such accounts as The Hershey Company and BMW.

“With our media department continuing to grow, Rachel is a critical hire,” said Jordan Murphy, VP, group media director. “Her focus is on the day-to-day management of the media buying team, building key media partnerships, and continuing to deliver on audience-led strategies for our clients.”

Clockwise: Janine Perry, Lisa Della Piana, Rachel Meyer, Matt Schwartz