Raydar appoints Kristyna Hotchin to general manager; Nigel Hooker joins as creative director

New Zealand strategic and creative shopper activation agency Raydar is heralding in exciting new leadership with the appointment of Kristyna Hotchin as general manager and Nigel Hooker as creative director, announced today.

Hotchin will be responsible for leading the agency and supporting clients to ensure they are achieving their business goals will be a key part of her role.

With a deep focus on retail, Hotchin steps into the role of general manager with more than 14 years’ experience leading teams in account service for locally and globally recognised agencies with household names including BP, Peugeot, Beiersdorf, BMW, Westpac, Farmers, Kiwi Property, Sanitarium, Pernod Ricard and Spark.

First working with Clemenger Group in 2009, Hotchin left the company in 2012 to work in the UK before returning to Raydar 2015, and then more recently 99 as client services director. She will report to newly appointed chief executive officer of Proximity Chris Pescott.

Says Pescott: “Kristyna has a stellar reputation within the group, and we’re delighted to see her lead the Raydar business. Driving results for the work is what gets Kristyna most excited and she’s known for building strong relationships to unlock the best work, both creatively and strategically.”

Nigel Hooker also returns to Raydar as creative director, after three years in Melbourne agencies and will take responsibility for the agency’s overall creative product, reporting to James Mok, chief creative officer of Proximity.

With extensive experience in shopper marketing, Hooker has worked as a creative director in agencies in both New Zealand and Australia. Most recently he worked across a wide range of well-known brands including leading the shopper creative for Carlton United Breweries, TAB, Channel 10 and Westholme in Melbourne.

On leading the creative shopper team, Pescott says Hooker will push boundaries and help achieve a point of difference from the competition: “The retail environment gets more challenging each year and Nigel brings the ability to think outside the box and get his team to adopt this way of thinking too.”

Says Hooker: “It’s exciting times at Richmond Road and I am looking forward to working with Kristyna, James and the whole agency to build on the great work and culture that Raydar is passionate about and respected for.”