Wavemaker Strengthens Strategic Offering with Addition of Initiative's Kate O'Loughlin and Summer Treseder

Wavemaker has expanded its strategic capabilities with a significant injection of fresh talent and internal promotions, delivering enhanced creative and strategic thinking for clients. 

Two exceptional and award-winning strategists, Summer Treseder and Kate O'Loughlin, are joining from Initiative.

Summer joins as associate strategy director and Kate joins as strategy director.

Summer has been with Initiative Sydney for the past five years, working with clients such as Amazon and Goodman Fielder. At Wavemaker, she will play a key role in leading the media strategy and planning for clients in the entertainment, tourism, and FMCG categories, driving client growth and enhancing Wavemaker’s capabilities.

Her impressive track record includes numerous industry accolades highlighting her strategic acumen. She is a Cannes Young Lions and Young Spikes Gold winner and has been recognised in B&T’s 30 Under 30, MFA NGEN Awards, and the Advertising Week APAC Future is Female Awards.

Kate is also highly awarded as a Young Spikes Gold winner, an MFA NGEN Award Winner, and recognised in the Advertising Week APAC Future is Female Awards.

She brings a breadth of experience, spending the past 3 years at Initiative and before that, 4 years at PHD.  At Initiative, she led strategic output for high-profile clients including Amazon. At Wavemaker, she will be responsible for developing innovative strategies for clients embracing creativity and challenging conventions to deliver brand growth.

Meanwhile, Marco Del Castillo and Bec Drummond have been promoted from group strategy directors to joint heads of strategy, in recognition of their award-winning contribution over the past 10 years, leading strategy for Wavemaker’s key clients.  

Marco and Becwill continue to report to James Boardman, who was promoted to chief strategy officer in December 2023, and leads Wavemaker’s strategic output alongside chief product officer James Hier.

"We are thrilled to welcome Summer and Kate to the Wavemaker family," said James Boardman, Wavemaker chief strategy officer.

"They are part of a new generation of dynamic and award-winning strategists. Their proven track record of innovative thinking and award-winning work speaks for itself. They both share Wavemaker’s spirit of positive provocation and will play a key role in shaping the future of our clients' brands."

Summer said, “I'm pumped to be joining Wavemaker and can't wait to bring to life some amazing work for my clients that embraces the agency's positive provocation approach. The opportunity to take on fresh challenges in a new agency environment drew me to Wavemaker – and their impressive new Sydney Campus didn't hurt either!” 

Kate added, “Wavemaker has awesome momentum right now, and I’m super stoked to bring Wavemaker’s belief in ‘positive provocation’ to life alongside a team of truly incredible leaders and strategic thinkers.”  

Kate and Summer joined Wavemaker in January 2024.