By Arvind Hickman
Initiative has promoted Fritha Hookway to chief strategy officer across EMEA.
Hookway joins Initiative EMEA leadership team comprised of president Léonie Koning, chief analytics officer Nigel Foote and senior HR business partner Abby Pepper.
She previously served as head of strategy global, leading Initiative’s EMEA pitches and working on campaign strategy for several global accounts, including Nike EMEA, Amazon, Prime Video Europe, Carlsberg, Lego, Harman, Deliveroo and Canada Goose.
In her new role, she will oversee all EMEA markets with a focus on regional strategies, new business and network growth. Her role also involves strategic product development and deployment in 2023.
Initiative said that it created the role due to “significant growth” in clients in EMEA over the past few years. There are plans to grow the EMEA leadership team this year.
A recent global media pitch win that Hookway led in EMEA was for Nike last year, which Initiative now handles in Europe, Latin America and Asia.
Koning said Hookway has “the combination of razor-sharp strategic insight, a genuine passion for culture and the sort of infectious energy that inspires her teams to be innovative and always explore new paths”.
She added: “We’re excited to see her step into this new role and drive further growth for our clients, develop our product and inspire the EMEA strategic community. We are very lucky to have her as part of the Initiative family.”
Prior to joining Initiative in 2020, Hookway worked for Snap in the US, creating campaigns and AR strategies for Warner Bros, Sony Pictures, Paramount, Annapurna and A24.
She has also held a senior digital marketing role for Topshop and Topman and was a senior planner at full-service agency Contagion in her home country New Zealand.
“I couldn’t be more excited and ambitious for starting 2023 in this new role. EMEA is a fascinating region; there’s a constant tension between what similarities exist between each market, and the cultural nuances that set them apart,” she said.
“It makes for a great creative and media challenge. I’m fortunate to be part of a brilliant team; Initiative constantly demonstrates resilience and innovation – which is a proven formula for driving the success and growth of our clients.”
A version of this article was first published in Campaign UK.
