Christine Kearney joins Powerhouse Digital as CEO

Marketing agency Powerhouse Digital has appointed Christine Kearney to the role of CEO.

Kearney comes to Powerhouse with a stellar background in business operations and marketing strategy, most recently as the general manager and director of marketing at prominent auction house Webb’s.

Kearney’s appointment signals a new phase of growth and transformation for the already thriving agency, which has been making waves with its dynamic approach to digital marketing. Incorporated in 2017, the company has rapidly grown from ambitious start-up to one of the leading operators in the digital marketing space in New Zealand. Powerhouse clients include impressive category leading outfits like Emma Lewisham, The Curve, Superette, Deadly Ponies, Canterbury Clothing, Nook, Walker and Hall and Flooring Xtra. Aided by the peerless expertise of Powerhouse, these brands have all developed better revenue results, unmatched return on their marketing investment, strong brand equity, and leading reputations within their respective industries.

Says Toss Grumley, director, Powerhouse Digital: “Christine is a perfect fit for this role. She has the right skills and experience, and it’s the right time in her career. She comes to Powerhouse with a wealth of knowledge as a strategic operator, coupled with an exceptional level of marketing nous. You can see that wherever she has gone, success has followed. I’m delighted to welcome her to the team.”

Powerhouse has built its reputation by boosting boutique companies with niche markets into market leaders with international reach. With a singular focus on strategic digital marketing, it has become a leading agency in providing marketing solutions for the contemporary digital media landscape. Its achievements so far are impressive, in 2022 alone they generated over 110 million dollars in sales for clients with no signs of slowing down. The company has its sights set on even greater outcomes, and its new CEO is primed to meet these ambitions.

The stunning success of Powerhouse can be linked to its active recruitment of exceptional talent and dedicated focus on digital platforms. This pro-active and forward-looking approach has seen the company flourish. It has consistently achieved market-leading results for its clients by placing emphasis on relationship building and developing sophisticated, client-centric strategies to suit the digital marketplace. In recruiting its new CEO, Powerhouse is once again raising the bar.

Says Kearney: “Powerhouse is a cutting-edge agency, who are raising the bar for strategic digital marketing, supporting their clients to achieve their growth plans and industry leading status. I have been consistently impressed with the performance of the brands they represent and the results they achieve for their clients. I’m thrilled to come on board and am excited about what we are going to achieve as we push the company through its next phase of growth and transformation. Powerhouse works with an excellent group of market- leading New Zealand businesses. Along with our expert team, I am committed to assisting them in competing locally and internationally and realising growth in their brand equity here and abroad. It’s exciting to consider what more we can achieve in the digital marketing space. We look forward to realising even better outcomes for our clients.”

Says Murdoch Razmi, director, Powerhouse Digital: “I’m incredibly proud of what Powerhouse has achieved in a relatively short period of time. We have created a world class service for world class brands. That said, there are still plenty of opportunities for growth. We are ready to take it to the next level, and welcoming Christine to the team is key to that. Her ambitions align perfectly with our brand vision and strategic goals.”

Kearney has a star-studded background, having held a succession of operationally focused leadership and marketing positions with highly distinguished brands. She started her career in the luxury hotel industry, taking a project management and communications role at The Ritz London. There, she developed an incisive understanding of luxury brand marketing, press relations, and brand strategy. Returning to New Zealand, she took up senior leadership roles with Robertson Lodges which boast 3 luxury lodges in their portfolio, followed by Langham Hospitality Group adding to her already rich understanding of luxury brand management and client relations.

Says Dani Croome, managing partner, Powerhouse Digital: “Christine’s background in luxury hotels is very relevant. She comes to Powerhouse with a huge amount of knowledge of customer service and client experience at the absolute highest levels. With such a strong focus on serving our clients and offering them an unmatched experience and results that exceed expectations, it will be fantastic to have Christine on board to continue driving this for Powerhouse. I’m incredibly excited for what the future holds with both Christine and I at the helm.”

Kearney took her career in a new direction when she joined Auckland auction house, Webb’s in 2018. As general manager and director of marketing, Kearney stamped her own style on brand direction. The once distinguished company was languishing after several changes of ownership and an increasingly competitive auction market developing around it. With Kearney at the helm, Webb’s transformed. The company surged through 5 years of eye-popping growth, underpinned by an incredibly successful marketing strategy.

With Christine Kearney as general manager and director of marketing,
Webb’s transformed from a niche brand to a marketing juggernaut and their marketing presence and brand awareness skyrocketed. Company revenue grew in scarcely believable, high double-digit percentages for 4 consecutive years. The company’s market share increased from back of the field to dominance. The company’s reputation for innovative marketing surged with incredible campaigns and collaborations with brands like BMW, WORLD Fashion and The Northern Club.

As a multi-department auction house, Webb’s services a wide range of clients. It deals in art, and antiques, jewellery, fashion accessories, collectible vehicles, wine and whisky. Managing to successfully connect with and satisfy the exceptionally high standards of this diverse clientele is a crowning achievement in Kearney’s career. She led the company’s marketing team as it developed a highly effective, multi-platform strategy that included digital and print advertising, ecommerce, activation events, collaborations, community work and meticulously crafted award-winning campaigns.

A key achievement for Kearney at Webb’s was the high-profile campaign for the sale of the Bank of New Zealand Art Collection. This prestigious art collection was the most admired and sought after corporate art collection in the country, filled with works by New Zealand’s greatest artists. Kearney masterminded a complex nation-wide marketing campaign that ran across all platforms and included 14 activation events across the country. The result was $15.3m in sales, the highest value art auction in New Zealand history, and a huge boost to the brand equity of Webb’s.
Coupled with her expertise in luxury brands, Kearney’s proven experience in leading a company through a period of vigorous growth bodes well for the future of Powerhouse. The dynamic agency looks set to take its distinctive, savvy marketing strategies to another level.

Says Grumley: “The growth at Webb’s with Christine at the wheel was electric. It went through huge team expansion, from 8 staff to over 70, and an incredible increase in brand equity through unmatched campaigning, driven by Christine and her team. Those results speak for themselves. Christine is an exceptional leader. This is especially evident in her most recent role at Webb’s, where she turned a niche brand to something well-known and widely recognised in a remarkably short period of time. She really understands brand and marketing, and her leadership abilities are impressive. I’m absolutely thrilled with her appointment as CEO.”

Says Kearney: “It’s an honour to take up this role with Powerhouse. I am very positive about the company and its future, and I look forward to working with the incredibly talented team and clients to drive the company to new heights.”