John Walters and Martin Mason
Nextgen Group has appointed Martin Mason as its new chief marketing officer following the departure of Scott Caulfield last month.
Mason was the founder of digital and creative agency Bang, which Nextgen purchased in 2017. Caulfield joined Nextgen in 2013 as general manager of digital and marketing services before moving up to group CMO and then taking on additional managing director duties at Bang.
Meanwhile, Bang has promoted Melanie Jeffress as its new managing director and will be responsible for its finances, operations, and client delivery.
Jeffress joined Bang seven years ago, initially as client services director before making her way up the leadership ladder.
Katie Salmaggi also joins the agency as its sales director. Salmaggi will lead the agency’s new business development and sales efforts, supporting Jeffress in finances management.
“After a number of years working with the business, I’m grateful for the recognition and this opportunity to take things to the next level and lead Bang as we begin the next chapter of our story,” Jeffress said. “I really appreciate the experienced and diverse Nextgen board supporting two female leaders at Bang, and it’s great to be joined by Katie, who brings fresh ideas and energy to our expanding team.”
Mason said he was looking forward to changing gears with a group CMO role and aims to help guide Nextgen’s marketing, while supporting Jeffress in her leadership position as a non-executive director with Bang.
“For more than seven years, Mel has proven to be an incredibly strong team player, guiding and managing our people to the point where she knows the business and the industry inside out,” he said.
Nextgen Group CEO, John Walters said it was entering into a new and more collaborative era between the two organisations.
“At Nextgen, we value diversity and inclusion immensely, with significant female representation on both our Nextgen board and executive team,” Walters said. “We also strive to promote great people from within, especially those so highly regarded by their colleagues.”
