Jack Watts named global CEO of Bastion Collective; acquires two U.S. digital agencies
Bastion Collective has announced the appointment of Jack Watts as global CEO to lead the company across Australia, the United States and Asia. Bastion has also acquired two digital agencies to bolster its team in the U.S.
Watts has been CEO of Bastion Collective’s Australian business for the past four years after starting the sponsorship and experiential arm of Bastion Collective, Bastion EBA, in 2009.
Now entering its 11th year, Bastion Collective is one of the largest independent communications agencies in Australia with over 200 staff across Melbourne, Sydney and Canberra.
Bastion has a rapidly growing presence globally with 40 staff and three businesses in the United States and partnerships across China, Singapore, Japan, Vietnam and Hong Kong.
Bastion Collective has ambitions to create ‘Australia’s global agency’ to continue to drive world-class communications and innovation in the industry, with an ambition to foster Australian ingenuity and ensure it keeps creating and taking its ideas to the world.
Watts describes the company’s journey as one that has centred around building a unique agency model that works for the modern world: “Over the past 10 years, we have built an agency model, from scratch, that meets the needs of today’s clients – combining the service, care and expertise of small agencies with the scale and breadth of service offering of the multinationals.”
Bastion Collective has acquired two agencies in the United States to add to its expanding presence. Digital transformation and ecommerce agency, Cyndica Labs has been acquired and will be merged into Bastion’s US digital agency Bastion Rare. Social media and performance agency, Huntington Pacific Media, has been acquired and will be merged into Bastion’s US PR and social agency Bastion Elevate.
These two acquisitions bring with them major US clients including Discovery Channel, PWC and Hitachi. This adds to Bastion Collective’s growing US client base including KFC, Verizon and Google to name a few. Bastion Collective has 40 US based staff with offices in LA and New York.
Says Watts: “We have built this model in Australia and over the past few years have seen the opportunity to take this to the world. We have a strong, and growing, presence in the USA with over 40 staff as part of the Collective there. We also have a range of partnerships in place throughout 10 Asian markets.
“The opportunity is the same in each market, where there are six large multinational agencies at the top, thousands of smaller independents and not much in between. With our unique approach, we believe we can rapidly create Australia’s global agency.
“COVID has only accelerated this opportunity as the legacy multinational holding group model continues to be challenged. This is evident in the results of the major holding groups published in the past fortnight.
“Mergers and acquisitions are at the top of our agenda in every market that we operate in, as clients increasingly look for a truly integrated communications solution. We want to be the home for great agencies, great clients and great people who have been saying for a long time ‘there must be a better way.”
Watts’ brother and co-founder of Bastion Collective, Fergus Watts, will move from executive chairman to non-executive chairman.
20 Comments
So, what is Bastion meant to be — agency, network or holding company?
First DDB Worldwide promoted Australian Marty O’Halloran to global chief executive officer!
And now Bastion also has a global CEO – also in Australia! Go Aussies!
Promotion must have been an easy sell to the new board.
https://www.theage.com.au/national/cbd-melbourne-a-collective-walkout-20191016-p531db.html
What work of any note has this Agency done?
Bastion does everything. That’s why it’s a COLLECTIVE.
It’s Australia’s next global powerhouse – like Mojo in the 70’s and Singleton’s in the 80’s. That’s why it has a GLOBAL CEO. And he’s a JACK of all trades.
Hope that helps clear up the confusion.
The difference being that Mojo & Singleton actually produced DECENT work.
Name one campaign that has been even slightly worth commenting on? That’s right, there are none.
You critics are like a broken record “What work of any note has this Agency done?” Its not all about work of note or “creativity” mate.
Bastion is building a global bloody offering – all from Australia – THATs of note. On a bunch of bloody good clients that youve probably never heard of becuase your only focused on the big end of town. What work of note does any Aussie agency do that compares to this? Its run by ex-AFL players. you don’t get more Aussie than that. its the biggest indendendent in Oz and you should be proud of that.
For any Aussie client looking for a proper Aussie agency thats all they need to know. Its a bloody good place run by bloody good blokes who could kick your criticisms further than youve probably got in your career.
“ex AFL”, “bloody good blokes” – any women in leadership to speak of?
Note to marketers, when engaging an agency be sure to disregard ‘work of note’ and ‘creativity’ and instead ask for examples of ‘bloody good blokes’ and sporting accolades.
Up the power
So asking ‘what work have they done that is actually any good’ promotes the worlds most defensive response from someone who clearly works for them.
It would have just been a lot shorter to answer ‘none as of yet’.
the comparison to Marty being Global CEO of DDB is a bit much. This is a nice little group of Aussie companies doing a good job for its clients, with a few US businesses. Hardly a global network
If it’s “not all about work of note or “creativity” mate” then what exactly is it about? A global offering of what? Asking for a friend.
Jacks a global CEO now. one of only two in Australia and I’m guessing your not the other one so I can see why maybe your confused.
I’d like to think the Australian marketing fraternity has evolved beyond Agencies pitching themselves as “bloody good blokes who used to play AFL”.
But it seems there are still a few who enjoy flicking each other’s privates in the boardroom.
I’m no expert, but shouldn’t “Australia’s Global Agency” have a head of strategy, a chief creative officer, a director of client services, and someone who can use grammar appropriately?
Been there, seen it. Tellingly, Bastion Collective and Boy’s Club share initials.
tall poppys much. head of strategy, a chief creative officer, director of client services. all jobs invented by big agencies just to charge big bills.
your an intern so wouldnt no that these are all the things that real admen like singo and like mo and jo all did without needing those fony roles. like jack does now and at a global level now. so maybe start youre internship with a bit of a history lesson?
Get off the blog. And learn to spell. You’re (spelled correctly) a big Global CEO now.
elitist more like it. thanks for the spelling lesson though. your obviosly part of the tall poppy mafia too. good for you.