UM Australia appoints government lead following Brett Elliot’s departure
(L-R): Anathea Ruys, Lisa McMillan
UM Australia has appointed a new managing director to lead its government accounts, following the departure of Brett Elliot earlier in the year.
Lisa McMillan joins the agency to take on the role, working across the Australian Government and ACT Government accounts. She will be responsible for overseeing the accounts and guiding the national team of over 80 people.
McMillan joins UM Australia from M+C Saatchi’s media agency Bohemia, where she was chief client officer. Prior to that, she held senior roles at Starcom at Spark Foundry, where she worked with brands including Procter and Gamble, Mars Wrigley, Brown-Forman, and Mondelez.
(L-R): Anathea Ruys, Lisa McMillan
She described working with clients who shape public policy as a “privilege”.
“The media landscape changes so rapidly, and government communication needs to balance attention, responsiveness and integrity within that challenging environment,” McMillan said in a media release on Thursday.
“I’m excited to lead UM’s talented team as we deliver data-informed, people-centric media solutions that support national priorities and public trust.”
She takes on the role that was left vacant by Brett Elliot, who departed in February. He has moved to Dentsu in a newly created role of chief operating officer – media. There, he leads operations and client service across Dentsu’s media brands Carat, iProspect, and dentsu X.
McMillan will report directly to Anathea Ruys, CEO of UM Australia.
“Lisa brings a unique blend of strategic leadership, commercial nous and a deep understanding of navigating complex organisational structures,” Ruys said in the release.
McMillan will be based out of Sydney, and starts the role on June 30.
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