JWT Sydney strengthens its management team promoting Jenny Willits to general manager role

JWT has announced the promotion of Jenny Willits, one of Australia’s most recognised strategic agency operators, to the role of general manager, JWT Sydney.

Says John Gutteridge, CEO, JWT Australasia: “This is a well deserved promotion and we are delighted to have Jenny as Sydney’s new general manager in an exciting time of high energy and growth for JWT. We have a very ambitious team here at JWT, with a very clear plan and plenty of aptitude to bring it to life. So it is fitting that Jenny, a very determined and talented leader, should take the helm.”

Previously Willits spent 18 months as JWT’s client services director steering the agency’s major account Kellogg’s ANZ through a period of high growth and success and honing her key strengths in strategy and implementation, client relationships and team leadership.

In her new role, Willits will have responsibility of the day to day management of JWT’s largest Australian-based office with a clear remit to lead major client accounts and  oversee an aggressive new business drive.  She will also continue to build a high level of collaboration between JWT offices across Australia and New Zealand.

Says Willits: “I’m privileged to have been asked by John to lead the agency at this exciting time. Work already in the pipeline for 2014 bodes well in terms of growth and opportunity for the Agency and we look forward to announcing new client wins shortly. 

“I’m also genuinely excited to be partnering with such a talented and diverse group of people, and importantly to continue working closely with John as he runs the JWT ANZ offering.”

Willits has a long and established agency career, having worked in the industry both internationally and locally for the past 14 years.  Most recently she has held several senior positions at JWT commencing in March 2012 as group account director running the Kellogg’s ANZ business. Then followed a promotion to client services director in September 2012 with a responsibility of driving a 20+ team of  integrated account handlers, developing new training  and review initiatives and building the agency’s competencies across the board before moving to Perth in March 2013 to oversee the opening of JWT’s new Perth office and bed in the RAC business.

Earlier in her career, Willits earned her stripes at Saatchi’s London and then Mojo Sydney working on Lion Nathan and its Boag’s Pure Water campaign before jumping ship to the Monkeys leading the UBank and Foxtel accounts to name a couple and working on The Cancer Council NSW Sun Sound.

JWT will announce the new appointment to the role of client services director in due course.