Aaron Lipson appointed ECD of Kwpx as Corey Swaffer exits for new opps; Georgie Frampton joins WA office in Executive Director role

Leading Australian independent creative agency kwpx has appointed Aaron Lipson as Executive Creative Director of Adelaide and Darwin as Corey Swaffer departs after over 15 years to pursue new opportunities. Lipson will be joined by Georgie Frampton, who joins the Fremantle office as Executive Director working with ECD’s Bryan Dennis and Dav Tabeshfar.

Kwpx will continue to offer its core services in advertising and digital communications across SA, NT, and WA, to shared clients with a renewed focus on delivering breakthrough creative work that drives growth.

Leading this charge will be Lipson (above left), who takes over from longtime creative Swaffer (above middle). Lipson began his career under Peter Withey at KWP! 25 years ago, and has since built a successful, award-winning career in Melbourne, working with top blue chip clients such as ANZ Bank, Nike, Sportsbet, Tourism Queensland, Tourism WA, Specsavers, Jeep, Australian Open, Melbourne University, Australia Post, John West and Honda.

Adds Lipson: “Starting as the work experience kid and returning as ECD is a rewarding full circle moment for me. I share the team’s excitement and ambition in creating world- class work, nurturing a vibrant creative culture throughout the whole agency, and elevating our clients’ brands based on their core brand truths.”

Lipson will be joined by Georgie Frampton (above right), who joins the Fremantle office as Executive Director working with ECD’s Bryan Dennis and Dav Tabeshfar. Frampton is a highly regarded Senior Client Director who began her career in Western Australia before relocating to London, where she spent seven years with global agencies, working on major brands like Apple Music, Coca-Cola, Skittles, and Compare the Market. For the past three years she has been Group Business Director at Rare in Perth. Off the back of Kwpx&partners recent awards success, Frampton will play a key role in driving continued growth in Western Australia.

Kwpx has also announced the sale of its media division to the fast-growing media powerhouse Atomic 212°, which has a strong presence in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, and Darwin, which has been a long-term partner of kwpx. With this acquisition, Atomic 212° will expand into the South Australian and Western Australian markets.

Says David O’Loughlin, CEO and Chair, Kwpx: “After 10 years of significant growth, I am excited by our new partnership with Atomic 212° that will bring even more power and precision to our shared clients integrated media needs. And our ambition to grow into new markets with breakthrough work is even more achievable with quality people like Aaron and Georgie joining the team. These are exciting times, and our best days are ahead of us.”

Says Atomic 212° Chairman, Barry O’Brien OAM: “We have long admired kwpx for their strong media skills and strategic thinking. Our agencies have collaborated successfully on several clients in the past, so when the opportunity came up to make kwpx’s media arm part of the Atomic 212° family, we jumped at it.”

Atomic 212° Chief Executive Officer, Rory Heffernan, says: “This acquisition is an important moment for us, giving us a strong entry into the South Australian market and a new resource for our clients around the country. KWPX’s exceptional media and digital skills are a great fit with Atomic 212° and we are all looking forward to working with Natalie and her team to build on what they have already achieved.”

Says Natalie Morley, who is currently KWPX’s Executive Director of Media: “I’m thrilled about the opportunities that joining forces with Atomic 212° will unlock, growing our people and our product offering, and enabling us to deliver even greater outcomes for our clients. By tapping into Atomic 212°’s innovative strategies and extensive analytics, we’re well-positioned to elevate our capabilities and create exciting new possibilities for our talented team and valued partners.”

Today’s announcement follows a series of client wins and retentions for Atomic 212° over the past year including BlueScope, Great Wall Motor, BMW Australia and New Zealand, Bupa, the Northern Territory Government, Tourism Northern Territory, Northern Territory Major Events Company, Darrell Lea, Victoria University, My Muscle Chef, Vet Partners, Adyen and UKG.

Atomic 212° won Global Independent Agency of the Year (Media) and Global Digital Innovation Agency of the Year in Campaign’s Global Agency of the Year Awards announced in June 2024, and won Best Agency Culture and Talent (more than 100 awards) at the 2024 MFA Awards in September.

It also ranked #1 among independent agencies in Australia in new business wins, including client retentions, according to the FY 2023 report from COMvergence.

Atomic 212° has offices in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Darwin.