TRA welcomes leaders Irena Bakker and Stephen Churchman
Research and insights agency TRA has welcomed two senior members to its team: Irena Bakker as Head of People and Capability, and Stephen Churchman as Head of Design.
Both seniors begin their roles effective immediately, and hold responsibilities across TRA’s business, spanning its offices in New Zealand and Australia.
Managing Director Andrew Lewis welcomed Bakker and Churchman as important additions to the business, reflecting the agency’s commitment to people, culture and client-focused innovation.
Bakker joins from global marketing communications giant WPP where she was most recently Head of HR & Talent for New Zealand, responsible for developing and implementing HR and talent strategies, recruitment processes and change management skills. Previously, Bakker held the role of Group Talent Director for WPP’s media agency division, GroupM.
On her new role Bakker said: “It’s rare to find an organisation so committed to its people. As an HR professional, I couldn’t be happier to join TRA’s amazing leadership team and support the company’s growth plans. It’s an exciting time to join TRA and I look forward to working with such an inspiring group of people.”
Lewis: “I am confident that in Irena we have found a dynamic leader who can leverage her extensive experience to ensure TRA delivers on this promise and continues to attract, retain and develop the best talent across ANZ.”
Churchman brings a combination of global and ANZ experience to the role, having most recently held a role as Head of Creative at Les Mills and prior to that held design roles at Saatchi & Saatchi and DDB in New Zealand.
On his new challenge, Churchman said: “Landing a role with TRA feels like returning home, twice! I am excited about what the future holds and look forward to empowering the already amazing team we have here at TRA. I can’t wait to help TRA and its clients achieve their goals and measure success.”
Lewis: “There is no more experienced designer capable of crafting brand identity and experiences through strategic insight than Stephen, and we’re delighted he has returned to his home turf and joined our team.”
