Initiative Melbourne bolsters leadership team with senior hire and promotion

Initiative Melbourne has strengthened its leadership bench with the appointment of retail marketer Kathryn Griffiths as group business director and the promotion of long-serving team member Mark Dawson to the same title.

Griffiths joins from Bunnings, where she spent more than a decade in senior roles spanning brand, digital transformation, loyalty and growth strategy. Most recently, she led commercial strategy for Bunnings’ B2B division and played a key role in integrating the acquisition of Beaumont Tiles.

“Kathryn’s rare combination of retail, loyalty and transformation expertise, grounded in years of client side responsibility, will give our clients fresh, pragmatic insight into growth strategies,” Megan Davey, head of Melbourne at Initiative, said. “Her perspective will immediately add value across our superannuation and retail accounts.”

In her new role, Griffiths will oversee Initiative’s ISF portfolio, including Cbus, Hostplus and Industry Super Australia, along with Crown Resorts and Repco.

Griffiths said she was excited to join the agency and help clients stay relevant and connected in a fast-changing landscape. “Initiative’s strong people culture fits perfectly with my passion to create environments where my team don’t just thrive, they grow, evolve, and achieve their ambitions.”

Dawson steps up from senior account director after six years at the agency. He will lead the Officeworks and DuluxGroup accounts. A former investment specialist, Dawson is known for blending commercial discipline with creative media thinking.

“Mark is the epitome of a trusted partner,” Davey said. “His investment background means he considers the clients’ every dollar, while his leadership acumen consistently earns client trust. This promotion recognises the breadth of his contribution and his role in mentoring our next generation of talent.”

Both Griffiths and Dawson report to Davey, with their appointments effective immediately. Davey said the changes position Initiative Melbourne for its next phase of growth and innovation.