Dom Hickey joins Enigma as Chief Strategy Officer to lead integrated creative + media strategy offering

Indie creative and media agency Enigma has announced the appointment of Dom Hickey to the role of Chief Strategy Officer. She will lead the agency’s Central Intelligence department, providing clients with integrated strategy across brand, creative, connections, CX and media disciplines.

Hickey is one of Australia’s most prominent and respected strategy leaders. Across a career spanning more than two decades, she has led the strategy on some of the country’s biggest brands including Domain, Westpac, Coles and J&J. Most recently, she was Chief Strategy Officer at Howatson+Company, building the agency’s strategic product and attracting key new business wins, leading to transformational growth. In her time at Howatson, the agency was recognised as a Contagious Pioneer, received multiple Independent Agency of the Year accolades including Campaign Brief Agency of the Year and scored four wins across the APAC and Australian Effies. Notable work includes Domain’s brand platform ‘Know What We Know’, Modibodi’s ‘I’m Dying Inside’ and ‘The Great Unsubscribe’ for the ABC.

Says Enigma Founder & Director Lisa Sutton Gardner: “The only way to have true media and creative integration is for the insights and thinking that guide and drive them to be coming from the same brains trust. We’ve scoured the country (and a fair few others) to find the best leader for this department and have more than found what we’re looking for in Dom. From our first conversation, it was clear that we have a shared view of how deep strategic insight can deliver the most potent impact for our clients but also shared values on how we like to work and the kind of business we want to build. Dom’s appointment is a key step in Enigma’s ongoing evolution; I’m delighted to have her on board.”

Says Hickey: “Enigma is a 30-year-old challenger brand with huge ambition, and Lisa’s vision and investment for what’s next are super compelling in a market where many are running scared. With their strong regional heritage, Enigma has a deep understanding of real Australians. I’m excited about leading a department that continuously deepens this understanding and so enables us to connect our clients’ brands with their audiences in unignorably meaningful ways.”

Says Justin Ladmore, Enigma Chief Media Officer: “We’ve always had a passion for understanding and connecting with real Australia. It drives everything we do. With Dom’s arrival and the strategic firepower of her Central Intelligence team we’re better equipped than ever to deliver truly integrated campaigns for our clients that move real Australians and shape Australian culture. Bring it on!”

Hickey’s appointment as CSO follows that of Simon Lee as CCO in March and Justin Ladmore’s promotion to Chief Media Officer in February. Hickey and Lee worked together previously at Lavender, forming a creative partnership that Hickey describes as “one of the strongest of my career.”

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