The Orange Group appoints Tony Gardner as CEO

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

The Orange Group appoints Tony Gardner as CEO

Monday 29th October, 2012, 2.00pm - Auckland, New Zealand.
Press Release: The Orange Group

The Orange Group appoints Tony Gardner as CEO
Tony Gardner has left Ogilvy Wellington for the newly created CEO role at the experiential marketing and events agency, The Orange Group.

The Orange Group has announced the appointment of Tony Gardner to the newly created position of CEO. Gardner is joining The Orange Group with over 15 years experience in leading marketing and advertising agencies in Australia, New Zealand and Asia.

Previously General Manager at Ogilvy Wellington, he spent the last two years leading the well-established and highly regarded agency. Gardner’s move to Orange is an exciting development, as Orange look to expand their digital capabilities, tapping into the global trend in experiential marketing of incorporating digital into brand experiences.

“I’m thrilled to be chosen to lead Orange and to expand its digital and international services. Brands want to engage consumers, not just reach them. Experiential engagement is the most powerful way to start a deep and potentially enduring connection”, says Gardner.

“We look forward to the digital expertise, industry knowledge and strategic thinking that Tony will bring to Orange, as we embark on our next stage of development, particularly with regard to the international opportunities and growth of our experiential marketing business”, says Stu Robertson, Creative Director.

One of the leaders of the experiential marketing industry in New Zealand, The Orange Group are an experiential marketing, hospitality and events agency with over 21 years of successful operations. Orange has created a multitude of activations, conferences, events, incentives and experiential marketing campaigns for clients including New Zealand government departments, international brands and some of New Zealand’s largest companies.

In 2011 and 2012, Orange has successfully expanded its experiential marketing division, developed in part by Orange bringing a significant amount of Rugby World Cup business into New Zealand from international agencies and tenders. Their Rugby World Cup work has provided new international opportunities being pursued by the company directors, Stu & Semele Robertson, and a number of experiential campaigns for companies such as ANZ, TVNZ, Kellogg’s and Samsung.

“As the trend of phygital marketing takes off in New Zealand, we are fortunate to have someone with Tony’s experience in digital marketing to direct and add value to our experiential marketing business and brand activations,” adds Robertson.

"I'm impressed by the breadth of Orange's current operations and the growth potential of The Orange Group. They've shown strong financial performance over the last two years and there are great foundations to build on", says Gardner.

Some highlights from Tony Gardner’s agency history includes seven years with Saatchi & Saatchi Wellington in the 90’s, Asia Pacific Business Director & Digital Director for Greater China at Publicis Worldwide, GM for Publicis Dialog (part of Publicis Mojo), Sydney, as well as Managing Director of DraftWorldWide, Australia and GM of Saatchi DGS, Digital Agency of the Year under Gardner’s leadership.

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Background

The Orange Group

The Orange Group is a privately owned family business, founded and built by Stu and Semele Robertson, comprising of over ten companies, with offices, showrooms, warehouses and distribution centres in Auckland and Queenstown, catering for brand experiences, conferences and events nationwide.

Over the last 21 years, Orange has evolved into New Zealand's premier activation, events and hospitality company – providing clients access to a powerhouse of creative, technical and logistics expertise, event equipment, sophisticated furniture and prop hire, event management, design and print, entertainment, gourmet catering, wedding planning and two of Auckland's most iconic waterfront venues, The Wharf and Orakei Bay.

The Orange Group is comprised of over ten companies including:

Orange Productions – experiential marketing including brand activations, events, conferences, spatial design and project management
qobo – creative, design and production
Orange Lounge – furniture hire
The Wharf – waterfront venue
Orakei Bay – waterfront venue
Orange Gourmet - function and corporate catering

www.theorangegroup.co.nz

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Follow @orangenz on Twitter

Tony-Gardner

ENDS

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