Publicis Groupe ANZ names Matt Houltham CEO of Starcom Australia

Publicis Groupe ANZ has appointed Matt Houltham as chief executive officer of Starcom Australia. He will step into the role in July, reporting to chief media officer Imogen Hewitt.

Houltham brings 25 years of media and agency leadership experience across Australia, New Zealand, the US and the UK. He previously led digital media operations at ZenithOptimedia (now Zenith Australia), and most recently served as global chief marketing officer at market research platform Glow.

He joins Starcom’s executive leadership team alongside chief operating officer Louise Romeo and chief client and growth officer Scott McCaffrey.

“In his various leadership positions, Matt has consistently demonstrated his ability to deliver continuous innovation and achieve outstanding results for clients,” Hewitt said. “He is also a leader with a reputation for positively engaging and developing talent. Matt’s experience across media and creative – alongside his leadership in digital media transformation – is a rare and powerful blend that will ensure the continued growth of the Starcom business in Australia.”

Houltham said he was excited to join a team known for delivering insight-led, effective media solutions.

“Starcom Australia has a fantastic legacy of strong client partnerships built on delivering effective, insight-led media solutions. That success stems from a stellar team who is ambitious, curious and deeply collaborative,” he said. 

“With expanded data and technology capabilities through recent Publicis Groupe acquisitions, we are well positioned to elevate Starcom Australia’s impact even further – ensuring that everything we do moves people and business metrics.”