Lution strengthens media advisory with chief media officer appointment
Mike Worden
In-house agency consultancy Lution has welcomed its first ever chief media officer as it continues to expand into media advisory.
Mike Worden joins the consultancy from Endeavour Group where he spent two years leading media and marketing effectiveness. There, he built out an in-house media function. Prior to Endeavour Group, he held senior roles agencyside at Mediacom (now Essencemediacom), OMD, UM, and ZenithOptimedia (now Zenith).
As the new chief media officer and partner, Worden will lead Lution’s media advisory, helping brands design, build and optimise in-house and hybrid models.
It comes as a response from growing demand from brands wanting to re-think their media models.
Mike Worden
Worden said the media industry is undergoing its “biggest shift since the advent of digital”. As a result, more brands are choosing to in-house their media operations to make budgets work harder.
“I’ve seen first-hand how transformative this can be for a business, and I’m really excited to work with the incredible team at -lution to help more CEOs and marketing leaders tap into these solutions,” he said in a media release on Tuesday.
According to a Lution study last year, 78% of Australian marketers are leveraging in-house models in some capacity. The adaptation of in-housing has increased, as this was up from 63% in 2021.
Worden’s appointment is part of a “broader wave of talent” joining the consultancy, according to the release.
Nicole Smith-Cullen, former group head of in-house agency at Accent Group has joined as a creative operations consultant, while Josh Cave, ex-client partner at Oystercatchers in London, has joined as consulting project lead.
Chris Maxwell, founder and CEO of the consultancy, said Worden will bring “firepower and credibility” to Lution’s growing media practice.
“His track record across in-house and external agency leadership roles is unmatched, and we’re excited for what this means for our clients as they seek more control, accountability and value from their media investments,” he said in the release.
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