Sling & Stone New Zealand leadership shift sees Dearra Naidoo step up as Director

Communications agency Sling & Stone has announced a leadership change for 2026, with Sian Church (above right) stepping down as Head of New Zealand after seven years in the role. Dearra Naidoo (above left) has been promoted to Director NZ, where she will lead the team into its next chapter.

Naidoo brings more than a decade of experience working with companies across a variety of sectors and stages with deep expertise across fintech, SaaS and consumer lifestyle. Four years into Sling & Stone, she has a deep understanding of what makes the agency unique, leading campaigns for Lush Cosmetics, Pathfinder, Akahu and more. Naidoo will work closely with the global leadership team to continue building Sling & Stone’s capabilities and scale in New Zealand.

Says Church: “My time here has been one of the most rewarding and inspiring periods of my career and it has been a very difficult decision for me. This has been more than just a role, it’s been a defining part of my career. I came in with a mission to build a top tier comms agency with a strong culture and a reputation for doing impactful work, and I truly believe I achieved that.”

Appointed to scale the New Zealand operation, Sian built Sling & Stone into one of the country’s leading communications partners for high-growth companies. Under her leadership, the agency has curated a client portfolio spanning venture-backed startups, scaleups, and global brands entering the New Zealand market, including Tracksuit, Kami, LawVu, Stripe, Google Cloud, Krispy Kreme and Too Good To Go.

Says Naidoo: “I’m thrilled to lead Sling & Stone into its next chapter and work with the team to shape the agency’s future and grow our presence in the market. We already have an incredible team, a culture of creativity and a client portfolio that is truly inspiring, and I can’t wait to build on our strong foundations to drive Sling & Stone even further.“

Says James Hutchinson, CEO of Sling & Stone: “New Zealand has always punched well above its weight for Sling & Stone and the industry, consistently outperforming and setting the benchmark for creative and strategic impact. Sian has done an incredible job of leading our work in NZ and helping build Sling & Stone across the world. She remains one of the smartest and most creative communicators I’ve ever met and will do amazing in any role she has.

“NZ plays a critical role in our global story and I’m incredibly excited to see Dearra step into this role. She brings deep knowledge, sharp strategic thinking and the ambition to take the business into its next phase. I have no doubt she’ll build on an already exceptional foundation and continue to raise the bar for what Sling & Stone can achieve in Aotearoa.”

Naidoo’s appointment is effective immediately and Church will depart the agency on 19 March.

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