Initiative Australia CEO Melissa Fein has appointed Sam Geer as Managing Director of the national agency.

He has been Chief Strategy Officer for Initiative Australia since August 2018. In a concurrent appointment, Chris Colter is being appointed to Geer’s Chief Strategy Officer role.

“We are placing Sam in this key management role to offer him a broader platform for his talents,” said Fein. “He has been a key driver of our mission to bring cultural relevance to brands and accelerate their growth. His trailblazing strategy leadership has been a key ingredient to our growth over the past 18 months and this new position will allow him to infuse his skills more broadly across the agency.”

Colter is formerly Initiative’s National Strategy Director.

Fein added, “In Chris Colter we have proven world-class strategic leadership. His credits are truly extensive, from winning the Global Cannes Young Lions competition, leading cultural campaigns like Tourism Australia’s Dundee, to being named Campaign Asia’s Strategy Planner of the Year. More recently, Chris has been an integral part of Initiative’s new business success as well as delivering strong business outcomes for our clients.”