PR AGENCY DIARIES: UNDERTOW RIDES NEW WAVE OF LEADERSHIP
NZ-owned PR agency Undertow Media is reshaping its senior team, promoting Ash McEnaney into the newly created role of Head of Agency, elevating Renai Hagstrom to Group Account Director and adding senior lifestyle and beauty specialist Jess Carew to its ranks.
The new position puts McEnaney at the helm of Undertow's day-to-day operation and the continued development of its integrated communications capability.
At the heart of this, and increasingly recognised in the consumer brand-building space, is a proprietary database of more than 3,000 creators and personalities. It allows the agency to look well beyond the usual suspects, identifying talent according to geography, interests, lifestyle and increasingly specific audience or campaign requirements.
It’s one of a few successful recipes the team has developed in-house to help brands show up in the right places, from the front page to the feed, whether that's turning a simple idea into a nationwide conversation, seeding newness or building longer-term brand relevance on owned channels.
McEnaney says the opportunity is to keep evolving this edge without losing the fundamentals the agency has built its reputation on.
“What excites me about this role is our ability to pair old-school media instinct with much smarter creator intelligence, creating ideas that travel properly across channels,” says Ash.
Alongside McEnaney’s appointment, Renai Hagstrom has been promoted to Group Account Director after four years with Undertow.
Hagstrom oversees the agency’s growing beauty and wellness portfolio, spanning the likes of ghd to The Estée Lauder Companies brands that includes M·A·C, Jo Malone London, La Mer and more. Her promotion further strengthens an area that has become an increasingly significant part of Undertow’s business.
Jess Carew brings in the trifecta, with 15 years’ experience across lifestyle, health and beauty communications on clients including Dermalogica, The Beauty Chef, CASETiFY and Avène.
Undertow Managing Director Greer Bland says the appointments mark an important evolution for the independently owned agency.
“Ash has made an enormous impact on Undertow in three years. She’s commercially sharp, has incredible instincts with clients and people, and understands what makes this agency tick without feeling the need to change the things that make us different.
“Renai and Jess back this up with immaculate media relationships and the nosey by nature attribute that has become an Undertow ticker.”
The senior team changes follow a strong period for the agency, with recent wins including Warehouse Stationery, Pandora, Wonky Box and the return of Caci Clinic to its client portfolio.
