Pead grows senior team with new hire and promotions

Aotearoa’s independent full-service PR and communications agency, Pead, has appointed communications expert Jennifer Leppington-Clark to the newly created role of senior PR consultant, in the agency’s consumer division.

Prior to joining Pead, Leppington-Clark was managing director for the Hill+Knowlton Strategies South African office. She held this role for four of her ten years with the agency.

Leppington-Clark has more than 18 years of experience, working in external and internal comms, PR and social media, strategy, messaging, media training and issues management. Her role included consumer brands such as Lenovo, Mazda, MSC Cruises, MTV and Shell and she was instrumental in launching a Head & Shoulders range for the South African market.

Leppington-Clark also worked in a seconded role at The Coca-Cola Company for four years assisting with CSI communications and running the consumer affairs portfolio.

Says Leppington-Clark: “I had been wanting to make the move to live and work in New Zealand, and when the chance to work at Pead came up, I knew this was an excellent opportunity to begin my career in NZ.”

In her role at Pead, Leppington-Clark is working across a diverse portfolio of clients such as Nespresso, BMW, Aramex and AIA among others.

Says Anna Farrera, partner at Pead: “We are delighted to have someone with Jennifer’s depth of skills and experience join the Pead team. In her time with us Jennifer has become an invaluable member of the Pead team, making an impact for both her clients and the business.

“At Pead we take the best of consumer and corporate PR and infuse it with leading digital marketing and creative, by doing this, Pead is translating communications into action and business results on a daily basis.”

Pead has also recently promoted Courtney Stayte to the role of senior account director. Stayte joined Pead as an account director in May 2022 and works in the corporate division, on Tower, Up Education, Lodestone Energy, Tend and My Food Bag.

Lauren Went has been promoted to the role of senior account manager. Joining Pead in June 2021 as an account manager, Went works in the consumer division, her clients include Recorded Music NZ, Nespresso, Good Health NZ and Lyre’s Non-Alcoholic Spirits.