The Growth Continues at Independent Creative Agency Emotive, with the Announcement of Five New Hires

The announcement comes off the back of a strong start to 2023, with new work launching from the NRL, Pernod Ricard, Optus and Google.  

The creative team continues to expand with Tessa Chong joining as senior art director. Tessa is an art director, illustrator and animator with 14 years experience across a variety of roles. Starting out in design and animation, Tessa landed in advertising with a 4-year stint at the Monkeys working across a large spectrum of accounts from Telstra, NRMA, Blackmores. She’s also worked with Go-To Skincare and joins from globally renowned animation studio Buck.

Gerad Petherbridge joins the strategy team as strategy director from Enigma. With a background spanning CRM and Data analytics to brand and creative strategy, Gerad brings a mix of skills and client experience that’s seen him work on everything from redeveloping Ford’s CRM program, helping Spotify connect with Gen Z, launching the luxury retail precinct at Sydney Airport and breathing new life into institutions like Newcastle Permanent and Kennards Hire.  

On joining Emotive, Gerad said: “Everyone I met at Emotive was so committed to creating great work, but in a way that’s completely devoid of ego in a way only independent shops seem to manage. Listening to Simon talk through the strategy for the agency and the kind of work we want to be famous for I was hooked. Then Hoggy turned up to interview me without any shoes on so I knew Emotive was a place I could feel at home.”

Michael Hogg, managing partner & head of strategy, Emotive said: “Turns out Silverchair and Mark Richards aren’t the only good things to have come out of Newcastle. Gerad’s a planner on a mission to make great work and adding his unique mix of data and creative smarts as well as his regional sensibilities to the strategy team is going to be transformational for our clients and creatives alike.”

Manavi Sharma joins the account management team as business director, relocating to Australia for the role. Manavi joins Emotive after more than a decade at BBH Singapore, where she worked with Singtel, Heineken and the Sentosa Development Corporation and was part of the team that pitched and won the Singapore Tourism Board global account. She has also worked with a bevy of clients from FMCG, Finance, Telecommunications, Retail, Government and Hospitality during her tenure.  

Manavi said: “I'm thrilled about the new journey I'm taking with Emotive in Sydney. I can attest to feeling an incredible energy from the team coupled with a strong culture of producing bold work which gets a reaction. And coming from Singapore, I’m not going to complain about an office at the beach of course!”

Zoe Hartas also joins the account management team as senior account director. Zoe has 10+ years working in the advertising and marketing industry, both agency and client side, with a focus on sport and entertainment. Zoe joins Emotive from Gemba, where she has delivered some of the biggest sponsorship portfolios across brands such as Toyota, Westpac, Coca-Cola, McDonalds, Nike.

And finally, Aoife Lehane joins emotive as senior account manager with over 4 year’s experience in advertising, managing integrated campaigns. She joins from Droga5 Dublin, part of Accenture Song where her most recent role as content manager saw her plan, manage and develop content strategies and executions for clients such as Tommy Hilfiger, AIB and Kerry Group.

Simon Joyce, CEO & Founder, Emotive said: “We’re serious about finding the best talent, whether they’re in Newcastle, Ireland or Singapore. These five hires reflect the agency’s significant growth, and get us one step closer to achieving our breakthrough mission this year. We are so excited to welcome Tessa, Gerad, Manavi, Zoe and Aoife to the Emotive family.

However the future doesn't entail limitless expansion. From day one, we set a ceiling on our growth of 70 people to ensure we hang on to the culture we have built and are so proud of - we are all about the best people and creating an environment that allows them to do the best work of their lives”.

All five new hires will be based out of Emotive’s new Coogee HQ.