TBWA\New Zealand Strengthens Strategic & Client Service with Four New Hires Following Continued Growth

TBWA\New Zealand has welcomed four new appointments across strategy and business management, continuing to build on the agency’s momentum and their new business success.

Joining the Disruption agency are Haley Hetherington who joins as Planning Director, Ellen Scholes – Senior Planner, Harriette Hanson as Group Business Director and Michael Lyons as Senior Business Director. All bring global experience, fresh energy perspective and firepower to the agency.

Haley Hetherington joins from Ogilvy London, where she led strategic thinking for Lloyds Bank and Google Pixel, following stints with The Monkeys, Proximity, and The Clemenger Group. With a background spanning brand, CX, and comms planning, Haley brings a rare ability to connect creativity to real-world business growth.

Ellen Scholes joins after several years at BBH London, where she helped shape upstream brand and campaign strategy for Blackstone, Genentech, and Volkswagen. She brings strategic rigour, a global lens, and a passion for turning big thinking into beautifully disruptive work.

Harriette Hanson steps into the role of Group Business Director from Grey London, where she was Deputy Head of Account Management. She’s led major global campaigns for Coca-Cola, HSBC, Nestlé, and Arla, and is known for her people-first leadership, creative excellence, and ability to build strong, long-term client partnerships.

Michael Lyons also steps in as Group Business Director, joining from Special New Zealand, where he spent more than four years leading accounts including Entain and Contact. Prior to that, Michael spent 2.5 years in London working across large integrated clients, giving him deep experience in brand transformation and client partnership.

The new hires are part of a broader investment in talent and capability as TBWA\New Zealand continues to grow its integrated offering. They have attracted an impressive bench of talent who are focussed on delivering culturally disruptive work and exceptional business impact for clients.

Says Catherine Harris, CEO, TBWA\New Zealand: “It’s been another year of growth and momentum for TBWA\New Zealand and for our clients. The breadth of business and creative challenges we are working across allows us to continue to attract top talent. These hires reflect our ongoing commitment to investing in the best people. Harriette, Ellen, Haley and Michael are already making a big impact on our work, our culture and our clients. We’re thrilled to have them on board.”

Says Joseph Judd, Head of Strategy, TBWA\New Zealand: “Haley and Ellen bring unique strengths but share the same strategic sharpness, creative instincts, and ambition to make world-class work. Haley’s experience across brand and CX will strengthen how we connect strategy, creativity, and customer experience across our key accounts, while Ellen brings deep experience in brand transformation and fresh global perspective to the team. They are both incredibly clever, talented, lovely people and I’m excited about the impact they’re going to have on our agency and our clients.”

Pictured (L-R): Ellen Scholes, Haley Hetherington, Harriette Hanson, Michael Lyons